Black Friday and Cyber Monday are consumer shopping events offering deals, bargains, and coupons.  Cyber Monday occurs the Monday after the American Thanksgiving holiday, and has become “one of the biggest online shopping days of the year.”

Consumers are expected to spend $105 billion in online shopping this year, and while Cyber Monday offers convenience, it is also a prime opportunity for malicious actors to commit cybercrimes including installing malware, stealing financial or credit card information, committing identity theft, and obtaining passwords, data, or other sensitive information.

On Cyber Monday, follow these tips to protect yourself:

• Type in retail website URLs directly rather than clicking on advertisements.
• Shop on reputable websites and use encrypted, secure HTTPS sites if entering credit card information.
• Password-protect all online retail accounts.  Do not store credit card information on these sites.
• Use credit cards rather than debit cards to protect your accounts and to limit liability for potential fraudulent activity.
• Avoid spam or phishing emails with “too good to be true” deals or offers.
• Be careful when shopping with mobile devices.  Use reputable apps and avoid entering sensitive or financial information when using public Wi-Fi hotspots.
• Update antivirus software on home computers.