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Shop Safely Online This Holiday Season with Tips from Secure Our World

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By Trent Frazier, Assistant Director for Stakeholder Engagement, CISA 

Related topics:
Cybersecurity Best Practices, Online Shopping, Multifactor Authentication

During the holiday season, you may receive emails or text messages about a deal you just can’t miss, or an opportunity to give for charities you don’t recognize. Sadly, during this season of giving, we must all be on the lookout for scammers who use tactics like asking you to click on a link that installs malware on your device or creating a fake online store to trick you into buying from them, resulting in your money or even your identity being stolen. 

So how big of a problem are holiday online shopping scams? According to the FBI, almost 12,000 victims reported scams during the 2022 holiday shopping season, resulting in over $73 million in losses. 

The good news is that Secure Our World has tips to protect you and your family, friends and business from these scams. 

 To get started, take these steps before making any online purchases to help protect your devices, information and accounts against scammers: 

  • Update software to ensure your devices are protected against the latest threats 
  • Use strong passwords—at least 16 characters, random, and unique for each account 
  • Use a password manager to generate, save, and fill in strong passwords for you  
  • Turn on multifactor authentication (MFA) for any account that offers it 

Check out our instructional videos for step-by-step guidance on how to secure devices and accounts.  

 Most successful cyberattacks start with a phishing email, and during the holiday shopping season, scammers ramp up their schemes. But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered with a few tips to avoid the phish hook:  

  • Beware of phishing messages—scammers are getting better and better at impersonating legitimate retailers 
  • Don’t click links or download attachments unless you’re sure of the sender 
  • Be wary of requests for information such as to confirm your delivery address 
  • Report scams to your email platform and then delete them 

And specifically for the holiday season, CISA recommends purchasing with confidence by: 

  • Choosing reputable vendors who encrypt your information 
  • Verifying business legitimacy through web searches and reviews 
  • Using credit, not debit, for greater protection against unauthorized charges 
  • Checking your accounts frequently for unauthorized charges 

We can all help one another stay safer online, so share these tips with a family member or friend!  It is just one more way we can help Secure Our World. 

 Visit our Holiday Online Shopping web page for additional tips and to learn more. 

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