How Minnesotans Can Protect Themselves When Shopping Online
Today is Cyber Monday, a magical day in which you can find a ton of online deals for your holiday shopping when your boss isn’t looking. But it’s also a time when you can put your personal information at risk, because cybercriminals are the worst.
Luckily for us, the IRS is here to help! (This is the first time that sentence has ever been written since the dawn of humanity)
If you’re planning on shopping online today (or at any point, really), your friends at the Internal Revenue Service offer the following tips to protect yourself:
- Shop At Familiar Online Retailers
One way to tell that a website is legit is if the URL begins with “httpS”. The S is for “secure”. You gotta have that S.
- Avoid Unprotected Public Wi-Fi
If you watch Mr. Robot, you know what this is all about. Whenever you shop while connected to an unprotected Wi-Fi hotspot, you open yourself up to the possibility of some punk being able to view your transaction history. It’s always best to connect to Wi-Fi with a password.
- Learn To Recognize Phishing E-Mails
Beware of any e-mails that ask you to click on a link to change your password – even if they look like they’re from a trusted source. They could take you to a fake website that will track your password and other information.
- Use Unique Passwords
When it comes to passwords, the longer the better. Experts say use a minimum of 10 characters, using a combination of letters, numbers, and special characters. Your password should probably not be Password.
- Use Multi-Factor Authentication
It can be a pain, but having to type in an additional security code texted to your phone after entering your password is recommended.
In the end, it’s always best to use common sense. Thanks for the help, IRS! That still feels very weird to say.