Video: How to Shop Safely This Holiday Season

[syndicaster id=’6096838′]

STARKVILLE,Miss. (WCBI) — It’s Cyber Monday and many retailers are offering great deals online as an alternative to fighting the Black Friday Crowds.

Shopping online means sending your credit card information out into the web, so how do you keep it from getting stolen?

MSU Cyber Security director David Dampier says anytime you swipe a card there is a risk, but some simple tips can help you keep your money in your bank while shopping.

During the holiday’s it’s easy to swipe, click, and spend but whether you are online or in your favorite store, the plastic you carry can come with a risk.

On the web, it’s important to stick to stores you know.

“Big stores like Amazon, you know Best Buy, places like that, they have good security built into their systems,” says Dampier.

David Dampier with Cyber Security at MSU says never click on ads you get in an email, even by popular brands, it’s safer to go directly to the website.

And if you are braving the crowds on foot and using a card, risks are still there, but you should have a safety net.

“lf they get hacked, then yes, somebody might get that information. The comfort is, if it’s a bank card, the bank is going to take care of it,” says Dampier.

Newer cards have some added security, an RFID Chip, the chip has to be inserted into a credit card machine, double checking the information on your magnetic strip… but That chip can also put you at risk, if someone is carrying a skimmer.

“Because the RFID Chip is emanating a signal all the time, if you just put it in your pocket, in your wallet, somebody walking by can read it as well,” says Dampier.

A special sleeve can protect your card from sending out that signal, many banks give them out.

Dampier says many companies are now making wallets that keep that signal from slipping out as well.