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Black Friday and Cyber Monday kicked off the busiest online shopping days of the year. Information Technology Services shares its top 10 fraud prevention tips to help you keep your personal information safe during this season:

• Never click on links in emails: They may send you to one of thousands of fake online shopping websites currently on the Web. If you want to shop from a specific site, enter the address in your browser.
• Don't open attachments with special offers: This is a classic scam. If it’s a real offer, you should be able to see it in the body of the email.
• Watch out for malicious ads and popups: Do not click on ads that sound too good to be true, and ignore popups that advertise the ‘best deal ever.’
• Beware of e-skimmers: You may have heard of hackers skimming credit cards at gas stations or bank machines, but did you know they can also do this online? The shopping website you order from might be infected with an ‘e-skimmer’ that steals your card data when you check out. To prevent this, use a third-party payment processor like PayPal. Sites like Amazon and PayPal also offer protections that allow buyers to easily dispute fraudulent charges.
• Use a credit card to buy online: Avoid using your debit card, which links directly to your bank account. If your debit card gets hijacked, you’ll face more hassles with trying to get the money put back into your account, and dealing with declined payments due to a lower-than-expected bank balance.
• Do not shop online over a public Wi-Fi: You do not know if the connection is secure and who is ‘listening’ (eavesdropping to capture your personal information). Only shop using a secure, trusted network. If you have no other way to shop, use a virtual private network, which encrypts your Internet traffic.
• Be wary of ‘freebies’: Don’t click on links in emails, text messages or social media posts offering free merchandise; they could cause you to download malware that hacks your passwords or files, or take you to a survey designed to steal personal information. Be especially suspicious of online gift card offers: Gift card scams are skyrocketing. Only buy gift cards from trusted sources.
• Do not re-use your passwords: If your password is hacked, all of your online accounts where you use that password are vulnerable. Use a password manager to create hard-to-break passwords.
• Keep a close eye on your credit card and bank accounts: Unexpected or strange charges on your statements could be the first sign of card information or identity theft. If you suspect you have been scammed, stay calm and call your credit card company.