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Your guide to intelligent Charitable Giving at Holiday time and all year round. Check out Charity Navigator https:\/\/www.charitynavigator.org\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Another Source to Shop Online with Confidence from the Better Business Bureau: https:\/\/www.bbb.org\/all\/online-shopping<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n People are so prone to just clicking right away without thinking about what they\u2019ve done; they put themselves in a vulnerable state. If an email looks too good to be true, it most likely is\u201d. Update your own sites. If you are a business, you will want to ensure that your e-commerce sites are fully patched as a good practice before the holidays. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The holidays are the most wonderful time of the year \u2014 and also one of the busiest for online scammers. As you hunt for the perfect gift, take a few simple steps to protect your money and your personal information. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 1. Shop Smart and Stick with Trusted Retailers <\/p>\n\n\n\n Buy directly from official websites or well-known stores.\u202fBe cautious of unfamiliar sites with prices that seem\u202ftoo good to be true\u202f– they often are. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Compare prices before you buy.\u202fKnowing what an item typically costs helps you spot suspicious deals or counterfeit products. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Look out for website clones: Always check the web address when shopping and watch out for website clones that might have a name like a real retailer (amazon_deals.co, for example). <\/p>\n\n\n\n 2. Protect Your Payment and Personal Info<\/p>\n\n\n\n Share only what\u2019s necessary.\u202fIf a retailer asks for more personal info than you\u2019re comfortable providing, shop elsewhere. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Use credit cards.\u202fThey often include stronger fraud protection than debit cards. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Watch out for weird payment requests: Any retailer that doesn\u2019t accept major credit cards is suspect, like if they want payment through Zelle, Cash app, or cryptocurrency (like bitcoin). <\/p>\n\n\n\n 3. Secure Your Accounts<\/p>\n\n\n\n Use a strong, unique password at least 16 characters for each shopping or banking account \u2014 and store them in a password manager. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Turn on multifactor authentication (MFA)\u202fwherever possible for extra protection. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Keep your devices up to date\u202fwith the latest software and security patches. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 4. Watch Out for Scams and other CyberGrinches<\/p>\n\n\n\n Be skeptical of emails, texts, or ads\u202fthat offer unbelievable deals or ask for personal info. They may be phishing attempts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Avoid buying from resale sites\u202fwhere automated \u201cGrinch Bots\u201d hoard popular items and resell them at inflated prices \u2014 often with higher risk of fraud. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Report suspicious messages\u202fto your email provider or IT team. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Please be on the lookout for delivery scam texts: Please be on the lookout for text messages from USPS, FedEx, UPS, and DHL asking for tracking numbers or payment, or announcing delivery delays. Shipping companies won’t ask for extra \u201cfees\u201d for products you order online \u2013 check with the merchant for updated tracking information. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 5. Monitor Your Accounts <\/p>\n\n\n\n Check your bank and credit card statements regularly.\u202fFlag and report any unfamiliar charges right away. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Set up transaction alerts\u202fto catch fraudulent activity quickly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Freeze your credit by default with the three major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion) and unfreeze it when applying for credit. It\u2019s free and doesn\u2019t impact your credit score! <\/p>\n\n\n\n 6. Stay Safe While Shopping on Social Media<\/p>\n\n\n\n Social media platforms can make holiday shopping feel fast and fun, but they\u2019re also prime territory for scams. Fake accounts and ads can lead to fake products or phishing sites. Before clicking \u201cBuy Now,\u201d double-check: <\/p>\n\n\n\n Is the account verified? Check the seller profile\u2019s history. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Check the store’s website: Does it have a legitimate website with clear contact information? Go beyond the social media marketplace. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Read reviews closely: Are reviews consistent and authentic looking? <\/p>\n\n\n\n Be extra careful on social media: There are many scam ads, so read reviews and do more research before purchasing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If something feels off, don\u2019t click the link or continue corresponding with the seller.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Keep the Cyber Spirit All Year Long -Good online shopping habits are actually innovative practices to follow year-round. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Give yourself the gift of peace of mind: stay alert, stay secure, and make cybersecurity part of your everyday routine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Be aware of your levels of cyber protection with w\/credit cards and look for this value when procuring a credit card, just as you may compare interest rates and other terms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kevin Goodman is the\u00a0Managing\u00a0Director of\u00a0BlueBridge Networks, a downtown Cleveland-headquartered data-center, managed services , cybersecurity, and\u00a0cloud computing business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n He appeared on FOX 8\u00a0to discuss holiday online shopping.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are some more Tips:\u00a0https:\/\/www.bluebridgenetworks.com\/cyber-security\/stay-safe-during-holiday-online-shopping\/<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n He can be reached at (216) 367-7580, kjg@bbnllc.com<\/a>\u00a0,\u00a0www.kevinjgoodman.com<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0www.bluebridgenetworks.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Please take some time to learn and review online best practices. This effort could now radically reduce your personal online risks while helping you and your business protect both your privacy and credit. The internet is a shared resource, and securing it is our shared Responsibility. CISA Reminds Online Shoppers to Stay Vigilant to Cyber Threats This Holiday Season | CISA […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4289,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4287","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/kevinjgoodman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/TV-8.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kevinjgoodman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4287","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kevinjgoodman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kevinjgoodman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kevinjgoodman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kevinjgoodman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4287"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/kevinjgoodman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4287\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4296,"href":"https:\/\/kevinjgoodman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4287\/revisions\/4296"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kevinjgoodman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4289"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kevinjgoodman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4287"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kevinjgoodman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4287"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kevinjgoodman.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4287"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}