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How to Avoid Getting Scammed on Cyber Monday

Cyber Monday is one of the most popular days of the year for online shopping however, it’s also a prime time for hackers to scam you.

In preparation for the unofficial shopping holiday, Adrian Bednarek, a security analyst with Independent Security Evaluators, shared some advice on how to avoid being scammed.

Fake Links

“A lot of phishing will be going around,” Bednarek said, referring to Cyber Monday, “a lot of fake links will be going around too.”

To avoid being scammed Bednarek says to be aware of any random links sent to your inbox. Avoid clicking on those links because they may send you to a fake website posing as a legitimate one.

Fake Sites

“You’ll get emails with fake links from adversaries,” he explained. “They’ll look as close as possible to a legit site, but there may be a misspelling you won’t catch.”

Scammers will put a lot of time into creating fake sites that look almost like the real deal. Then they’ll ask for your payment information, and instead of making a transaction, they’ll simply take your payment card data and steal your money.

“The adversary will have your credit card information and you’ll think your order is complete and you’ll wait and you’ll never get anything,” he explained.

More Tips

It's easy to get caught up in the bustle of online shopping when the deals are rolling in, but with a little awareness, you can make sure your shopping safely this Cyber Monday.

Here are some more recommendations to stay safe while online shopping:

1. Steer clear of phishing scams

2. Don’t click on random links sent to your email

3. Only shop on sites with an ‘s’ at the end of "http." For example, "https" not "http"

4. Use a credit card instead of a debit card

5) If the deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

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