The holiday season is here with Thanksgiving next week and
Christmas just around the corner, which means one thing: Black Friday sales. Many
stores are now offering exclusive deals online as well as in their physical stores,
and consumers will be spending big bucks from online stores which brings up
questions of keeping personal information safe. What can you do to keep your
credit card information out of the hands of hackers and criminals?
Firstly, make sure to always shop from trusted online
vendors. If you haven’t shopped from a website before, do a little research.
Read reviews for the website, and if anything seems sketchy, don’t give out
your credit card information.
Second, be vigilant. We encourage our readers to always
review their bank and credit card statements for anything that looks out of
place, but during the holidays, this simple step is even more important.
Dispute any suspicious charges right away, and if you believe someone has
stolen your credit or debit card information, contact your bank or credit card
company immediately.
Finally, do not save your credit card information on
websites. Most websites let you set up a profile and save credit cards on your account
to make purchases more convenient, but when you can, don’t save any credit card
information. Not only will you protect your credit card information from
hackers but you will also cut down on impulse buys. In the time it will take
you to pull out your credit card and type in the information, you will have
thought about whether this is a good purchase or not.
Want more spending tips this holiday season? Check out My
Credit Specialist on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube! Also, go to http://www.mycreditspecialist to learn
more about credit restoration and whether it is the right choice for you!
Image courtesy of KROMKRATHOG / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
