Cyber Safety Tips That Every Texas Holiday Shopper Should Know

(Mix 93-1) We've been seeing and hearing them since before Halloween, Christmas sale commercials on TV and radio. That’s thanks mainly to big-box hardware stores, which get us ready for outdoor decorating and more. Even major and big-box retailers, furniture stores, auto dealers, and more have bombarded us with Black Friday sales - BEFORE BLACK FRIDAY!

November seems to have turned into one huge Black Friday sales blitz, in my opinion. Well, Black Friday is coming up soon, and East Texans will be out doing their holiday shopping Friday morning and afternoon, then again Saturday for Small Business Saturday, whipping out the credit card again for Cyber Monday, and hopefully they'll do it again during Giving Tuesday and support their communities' nonprofit organizations.

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Why Holiday Shopping Scams Are Increasing

With so much shopping going on this time of the year - either in person or online - it is easy to lose track of your expenses and know exactly where your money is being spent. This temporary lapse could open you up to becoming a scam victim.

Texas DPS Cyber Safety Tips Explained

The Texas Department of Public Safety (Texas DPS) has released some Cyber Safety Tips you should keep in mind this holiday season:

• Shop trusted sources and well-known retailers
• Avoid unsolicited links in emails, texts, and social media ads
• Use secure websites, often indicated by 'https://'
• Use a digital wallet
• Use strong passwords and multi-factor authentication to secure personal data
• Monitor your bank account regularly
• Avoid using public Wi-Fi connections
• Enable multi-factor authentication
• Beware of deals that are too good to be true

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How Scammers Target Holiday Shoppers

Texas DPS Chief Information Officer Jessica Ballew says, "Scammers count on people being distracted, rushing to make purchases, or simply losing track of what they’ve purchased from retailers. Taking a few extra seconds to verify a website, such as going directly to the site rather than clicking unsolicited links, using a secure connection and checking to see if the e-commerce provider’s site includes a trust seal to show the site is secure, verified, and compliant with standards, all help to protect your data and prevent your information from being compromised."

Preventing Package Theft During the Holidays

When it comes to shipping, we know that porch pirates are lurking and taking the things you've ordered right from your doorstep. One way to protect what you've ordered is to have it shipped to your office or to an address of someone you know who will be available to accept and hold onto your package.

Following these tips could help you have a less stressful holiday shopping season.