BUFFALO, N.Y. — Most of us are going be hunting for the best deals this Cyber Monday – cyber security expert Arun Vishwanath shared his four tips to stay safe while still saving money.
“It’s all about deals, and deals can make us do things and click on links and attachments that we may not necessarily [have clicked before],” Vishwanath said.
Rather than getting caught up in a scam, Vishwanath recommends everybody follows these four guidelines before giving your information to a website.
“Think before you act, think about safety and create rules that protect you.”
Rule number 1: If deals are too good to be true, they probably are.
“Something may seem off… If all the prices [on an unknown site] are 50% off of what [they] would normally be, it’s too good to be true.”
Rule number 2: Use trusted sources.
Vishwanath recommends that everybody looks to shop only from secure websites owned by companies you’ve bought from before.
“We have many established retailers with very established apps and networks in place. If you download [their apps], use them and have a relationship with them, that’s the safest conduit for a sale… Go with the big guys.”
Rule number 3: Use a credit card with scam alerts.
Vishwanath said that this is a way to protect your money if your information falls into the wrong hands.
“This way, you know when your credit card is used, and who has used it… You can always go to your card and block a particular transaction.”
Rule number 4: Use different login information for different sites.
“Try to not use one email for everything.”
Vishwanath warns that this could be an easy way to get all your accounts hacked, just by the information for one getting out.
“I use a separate logins purely for shopping on certain websites. That way I know when I’m getting a deal from that website or from a phishing email or scam.
Happy safe shopping Western New York!
