Hi and welcome to Day 8 of my 12 Days Of Christmas series. The holiday shopping season is an annual time for people and businesses, to get spending happy. In 2020, shoppers spent a record $14 billion on Thanksgiving and Black Friday shopping, according to Forbes. Data from Adobe Digital Index, which reports on digital marketing trends for senior executives, indicates that Cyber Monday injected close to $11 billion into the economy, a 15.1% increase over the year before. Guess what, 37% of cyber sales came from our mobile devices. Now as happy as shoppers and retailers may have been, guess who else was happy? You guessed it, hackers, and identity thieves.  If you find that you have been a victim of Identity Theft, please be sure to contact the CFPB at: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (consumerfinance.gov) to file a complaint. 

With the holidays approaching, protecting your credit cards, passwords, and identity can be as important as making a shopping list. According to cybersecurity professionals who work with major corporations and organizations to prevent fraud and strengthen security measures, people who are vigilant and prepared can avoid being victims this season.

Here is what you need to look out for:

Mall Watchers: Although online sales have increased dramatically with North American net sales of $67.55 billion that represents an increase of 21.9% in the second quarter of 2020; brick and mortar sales are still a mainstay of the holiday season. 

Safe shopping at retail stores starts with awareness: know who’s nearby and what’s going on around you. Is someone standing too close to you in line? Are they secretly taking pictures with a cell phone? The person next to you or behind you could be a “shoulder surfer” trying to take a picture of your credit card information. 

Cyber Shopping Savvy: Online shopping is slowly becoming the most traditional way for people to shop these days, especially during the holidays. Before clicking on links or giving out your credit card information, be sure you are shopping safely online.

Fight Fraud: Most credit card issuers are surprisingly good at fraud detection, alerting us to fraudulent activities or suspending cards if they suspect unauthorized activity. Review your card’s fraud policy and update your settings if necessary. Have emails sent directly to you to alert you to every purchase. 

Protect Your CVV Code: The three-digit numbers printed on the back of your card is used to verify that the card is physically present during a transaction. Internet retailers may request the number because it helps them prevent fraud and verify that the real cardholder is placing the order. Be wary of emails from credit card thieves posing as your card issuer and asking for your CVV. The real card issuer will never ask for your CVV number in an email.

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