Local News
Internet Shopping Safety Tips from DATCP
Most people have already gotten a start on their holiday
shopping, and with Black Friday and Cyber Monday coming soon, more and more
people will turn their attention to finding the perfect holiday gift for their
friends and family.
Michelle Reinen with the state’s Consumer Protection
Bureau says if you’re doing holiday shopping online, it’s important to take the
necessary steps to make sure you don’t fall victim to a scam or have your
personal information stolen. Reinen tells us that begins with making sure you’re
visiting the correct website. “Don’t fall for any of the gimmicks you might see
on social media sites with links to too-good-to-be-true offers, and don’t click
within phishing emails to be directed to a website where there’s just a
fabulous deal,” Reinen said. “Go there through your normal path – you typing in
the URL, you using a bookmark or a favorite.”
Reinen adds that when it comes time to pay for your
gifts, to make sure you’re paying on a secure section of the website and to
make sure you are doing online shopping on a secure internet connection.