Shop Online With Peace of Mind This Holiday Season
The hustle and bustle of the holidays is just around the corner. And like most people, you’ll likely do some of your holiday shopping online. Online shopping can make gift buying more convenient, but it could also make you susceptible to fraud.
To help you protect yourself against online fraud, we’ve got details on common scams to watch out for, and tips for keeping your information more secure.
Online shopping and cybercrime facts
$222.1B
Consumer online spending during the 2023 holiday season, up 4.9% from 2022.1
$12.5B
Consumer losses to cybercrime in 2023, up 22% from 2022.1
Watch out for these holiday fraud schemes
Phishing: During the holiday season, your email inbox will be full of promotional emails and coupons from retailers. Fraudsters may use “spoofing” to try to mimic emails from known retailers and drive you to harmful links or fake websites. Learn to spot and protect yourself from phishing scams.
Smishing: Fraudsters often send fake text messages appearing to be shipment notifications from the USPS, FedEx, or retailers. Follow these tips to recognize malicious text links.
Deepfakes: Fraudsters use artificial intelligence (AI) to manipulate audio and visual media and impersonate influencers or celebrities to make them appear to endorse counterfeit or nonexistent products through fake video testimonials. Learn more about how to avoid falling victim to deepfakes.
Minimize risk with these online shopping tips
- Use trusted retailers and secure websites.
Navigate directly to known websites, look for a URL with “https://” in it, and a padlock icon in the address bar. Never click links to an online shop, even in emails that appear to be from known retailers. - Avoid public Wi-Fi.
Before you shop online, make sure you’re not using free or public Wi-Fi to connect to the internet. Unsecured Wi-Fi makes it easier for fraudsters to hack your data. - Use strong passwords.
Create unique, strong passwords with 15 characters or more for each of your online accounts, and be sure to enable two-factor authentication whenever possible.
Protect yourself from fraud and have a festive holiday season
By staying vigilant and following these best practices, you can enjoy the convenience of online holiday shopping and reduce your risk of fraud.
Learn more about our commitment to fraud prevention at key.com/fraud.