ORLANDO, Fla. — Today is Cyber Monday, and with millions of shoppers expected to take advantage of online deals today, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody is urging online shoppers to watch out for scammers.
Cyber Monday is traditionally one of the most popular online shopping days of the year – last year, consumers nationwide spent more than $10 billion.
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To help consumers avoid falling victim to scammers, Moody released tips for secure online shopping.
“With tens of millions expected to shop online this Cyber Monday, I want to urge caution. Scammers may try to take advantage of the increase in online shopping to steal money or financial information through various cybercrimes and schemes. To help protect Floridians, I am issuing consumer protection tips for secure online shopping,” Moody said.
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Here are Moody’s tips to ensure a safe online-shopping experience:
· Double-check the legitimacy of an online store by researching the store’s name and the sought-after product.
· Ensure a secure connection to a web browser before submitting payment information while ordering online. A padlock should appear in the address bar if the session is secure.
· Use credit cards, when possible, for better protection from fraud.
· Know that some debit and credit card providers offer one-time card numbers to be used for online transactions for further protection. Information on whether a particular card company offers this service is located on the company’s website.
· Refrain from clicking on links with deals that seem too good to be true.
· Avoid using public Wi-Fi when submitting personal or financial information.
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Moody recently released the 2022 Holiday Consumer Protection Guide, containing further tips for safe online shopping and how to avoid charity-related scams.
The guide also contains a list of recalled items to be on the lookout for while holiday shopping this year.
CLICK HERE to read the guide.
To check out “Scams at a Glance: ‘Tis the Season,” CLICK HERE.
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