From: The ACC IT Team

The holidays are here, which is the prime time for holiday shopping scams and cyber threats. Bad actors use this opportunity to take advantage of the holiday giving season to target online shoppers and those giving to charities. We encourage users to remain vigilant and take precautions:

1. Avoid clicking links in unsolicited emails | Be wary of email attachments

2. Use caution when shopping online | If it seems to be good to be true -it probably is.

3. Always verify that you’re on a secure site | A quick way to verify whether a site is secure is to look for a small padlock icon in the web address bar. It’s also very important to confirm the address begins with “https://” instead of “http://,” which indicates an unsecured connection.

4. Don’t respond to requests for information or click links that ask for you for personal information. | A reputable retailer is not going to send you a request via email to update private information. 

5. Verify a charity’s authenticity | Before you make a donation, check to make sure the organization is valid.

6. If you receive a call or voicemail from a credit card, bank institute, or other company, do not give out your information to the caller. | Hang up and call the number on the back of your card, or research the company information and number. Just because they leave a legitimate sounding voicemail, or ask official-sounding questions, does not mean it really is the company.

For more tips and information, visit the following links put together by the FBI and CISA.

FBI Warning:  Holiday Scams

Cybersecurity &  Infrastructure Security Agency:  Holiday Shopping

Stay cyber safe this holiday season, Riverbats.