Qin Chen

On Black Friday everyone has their wallets open for all the big savings. With Black Friday, Cyber Monday is just around the corner. When hunting for all those deals online, be wary of all the ads that you see from these third party savings sites. Be extra careful when clicking links from Black Friday saving sites, and/or email ads. Let’s all take the extra steps to get the gifts you want, and not for the gifts others get from your identity and money. These are the things that you should pay extra attention before you click on sign in or even put your shipping address in:

 
  • Does the website look weird? Does it have a number? Is it misspelled? When in doubt, don’t use the site, or any website no matter how cheap they might be selling something, you the buyer need to be confident with the site. Sometimes the best deals, aren’t always the best deal.
  • During the checkout process, does the website address start with https, if it doesn’t start with https when filling out your information there is a good chance this site is fraudulent and you should go elsewhere.
  • Also, during checkout does the address bar have a padlock on it? You should look for the locked padlock for safe browsing, if the address bar is green, even better. The green address bar with the locked padlock represents extended validation and extra security with the site. If the padlock is open, abort and save elsewhere.green_lock.jpg
  • Credit_1.jpgRemember never give out your Social Security Number, no shopping sites require it, and if they are asking for it, it is time to find another site.

 

The best way to shop this Cyber Monday is go to your favorite site by manually entering the website into your browser. This way you know it is safe and they always show the same promotion on their site. Remember to take those extra steps safe guard your money and identity. Make Cyber Monday, the day that you get those excellent deals, not the day that others get excellent deals at your expense.

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