The Thanksgiving holiday weekend, starting with Black Friday is one of the busiest times of the year for holiday shopping. During this busy time, we all get distracted which makes it easy for criminals to take advantage. Avoid having your holiday fun spoiled by keeping both these Black Friday safety tips and Cyber Monday safety tips in mind as you shop in person or online.

 Black Friday Safety Tips

1. Be aware of your surroundings. Put your cell phone down so you can be alert to suspicious people or vehicles.
2. When possible, shop during the day or take a friend if you go after dark.
3. Keep your wallet, purse, and bags close to you at all times.
4. Avoid wearing expensive jewelry or handbags.
5. Lock your car and don’t leave valuables or packages in plain sight.
6. Have your keys in hand and be ready to enter and exit your vehicle quickly.

Cyber Monday Safety Tips

1. Do your holiday shopping with reputable retailers. Stick with companies you know and trust and bookmark their websites, so you know you are visiting their legitimate website.
2. Only shop on secure sites. Look for the closed padlock and HTTPS in the browser to make sure it’s safe.
3. Consider having packages shipped to work if you will not be home to accept delivery.
4. Spot the scams. Here are some common Cyber Monday scams to avoid.
5. Use strong passwords when you create a store account to prevent a hacker from gaining access.
6. Don’t shop on public wi-fi. Unsecured networks leave you vulnerable to hackers.
7. Watch your accounts. Especially during the holidays, check your account (including credit card accounts) frequently to make sure the amounts are correct and catch fraud early.

Contact us immediately if you think you’ve been a victim of fraud.