{"id":4954,"date":"2021-11-16T15:34:00","date_gmt":"2021-11-16T23:34:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/?p=4954"},"modified":"2025-10-27T12:30:50","modified_gmt":"2025-10-27T19:30:50","slug":"shopping-securely-online-for-the-holidays","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/blog\/shopping-securely-online-for-the-holidays\/","title":{"rendered":"Shopping Securely Online for the Holidays"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Keep your finances safe from sneaky scammers this holiday season.<\/h2>\n

It seems just couple of years ago, consumers were skeptical about shopping online, but today, shopping online for everything from groceries to televisions has become the norm. But it comes with some risk. The FBI Internet Crime Report shows that cybercriminals were responsible for $4.1 billion in losses in 2020, with Business Email Compromise (BEC) schemes being the costliest for online shoppers.<\/p>\n

With holiday shopping season underway, cybersecurity is \u2014 and should be \u2014 a top concern for consumers. Here are 10 tips to keep your data safe and your accounts secure:<\/p>\n

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  1. Beware of online deals that seem too good to be true.<\/strong> This is especially important on social media. Many times scammers set up fake shopping sites in order to steal your personal information and your money.<\/li>\n
  2. Be smart about site security.<\/strong> Check to ensure that the site you\u2019re purchasing from has encryption that guards your information. Look at the URL, which should read HTTPS instead of only HTTP. The \u201cS\u201d at the end indicates the site has secure socket labels. You\u2019ll also see a lock at the left of the URL, which is standard for all secure sites. The Google Chrome browser flags any site that is not secure, with the HTTPS designation, and sends a warning message to the user.<\/li>\n
  3. Be wary of email scams offering amazing bargains.<\/strong> And be careful of claims that there\u2019s a problem with delivery, especially if you\u2019re unfamiliar with the sender. Never open attachments or click links that are included in the email unless you can verify the sender is legitimate.<\/li>\n
  4. Avoid shopping while connected to public Wi-Fi<\/strong> \u2014 it\u2019s a sure way for hackers to spy for your online activity and gain access to your personal information.<\/span><\/li>\n
  5. Whenever possible, buy with a credit card, not a debit card. <\/strong>Most credit cards offer $0 liability for account fraud, while a debit card gives shady sellers direct access to your bank account.<\/li>\n
  6. Guard your sensitive personal information.<\/strong> No legitimate online retailer will ever ask for your Social Security number. If they do, it\u2019s a major red flag.<\/li>\n
  7. Pay close attention to the details of the transaction,<\/strong> such as shipping notices and tracking information. If a retailer refuses to give details about your order, such as a shipping date or order status, chances are you may not receive the merchandise. Report the charge to your credit card company to get your money back.<\/li>\n
  8. Check your accounts regularly<\/strong> to ensure that all charges are purchases you actually made. If you see a charge you don\u2019t recognize, notify your credit union or credit card company immediately.<\/li>\n
  9. Choose strong and unique passwords <\/strong>for your online accounts.<\/strong> Never use your or family members\u2019 birthdates, addresses, or other personal information that scammers can easily find online. Combine letters, numbers, and special characters to create complex passwords that are difficult to hack.<\/li>\n
  10. Report suspicious activity or file a scam complaint<\/strong> with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and the FBI\u2019s Internet Crime\u00a0Complaint Center<\/a> at https:\/\/www.ic3.gov\/.<\/a> You\u2019ll be helping to keep yourself and fellow citizens safe against present and future scammers.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    This article is shared by our partners at Northwest Credit Union Association<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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    \"Charlene<\/div>\t\t\t\t
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    Charlene Homan<\/h3>
    VP Risk Management & Compliance<\/div>

    Charlene Homan serves as the Vice President of Risk Management and Compliance at Sound Credit Union, where she leads compliance initiatives and oversees risk management strategies, including BSA compliance, fraud prevention, quality assurance, and enterprise risk management. With over 15 years in the credit union industry, Charlene has advanced from an entry-level position to her current leadership role, demonstrating comprehensive understanding of credit union landscape that supports Sound Credit Union’s values while ensuring a strong commitment to regulatory compliance and risk management.<\/p>\n

    As Sound’s appointed Compliance Officer, Charlene ensures adherence to all relevant laws and regulations while providing essential oversight on compliance issues, with the overarching goal of effectively serving members. She actively engages in professional development by attending key industry conferences and training programs. She is passionate about supporting her teams to create awareness to the membership and surrounding communities, with the intent to empower individuals to protect themselves from common scams and other fraud activities.<\/p>\n<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t

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    With holiday shopping season underway, cybersecurity is \u2014 and should be \u2014 a top concern for consumers. Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":4955,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","_searchwp_excluded":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[111,113,114,115,116],"class_list":["post-4954","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tools-advice","tag-holiday","tag-online-shopping","tag-scam","tag-scammers","tag-shopping"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4954","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4954"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4954\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17401,"href":"https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4954\/revisions\/17401"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4955"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4954"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4954"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.soundcu.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4954"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}