Washington News

Each year the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) offers safety tips for online shoppers. With many online stores offering their versions of “Cyber” holidays and other online specials, millions of shoppers can benefit from knowing how to protect themselves from cybercriminals. Here are some simple things to remember.

1. Familiar Online Stores – Use online stores with known reputations and familiar names. The URL or online address should start with “https.” The “s” represents that the website has a security certificate.
2. Unprotected WiFi – Many restaurants and stores offer free public WiFi. Avoid using public WiFi sites for online purchases. Cybercriminals can monitor the public WiFi sites. Exercise caution if you use your credit card to purchase items with a public WiFi site, a cybercriminal may be able to steal your financial information.
3. Security Software – Anti-virus software is reasonable in cost and should be used by everyone. The software will usually update automatically each day when you are on the internet. Do not use “free” security software, and do not click on offers for “free” security scans.
4. Passwords – Use ten-to-fourteen-character passwords. The best passwords have a capital letter, a number, a special character and lower-case letters. Use a password manager with encryption to save all your passwords.
5. Phishing emails – Be cautious if an email claims to be from the IRS or a financial institution. Do not click on any links if you do not know the sender of the email. If you receive an email claiming to be from a retail store, bank or a government agency, do not click on a link. Instead, visit the website or app for that organization or call directly for assistance.
6. Authentication – Many banks and financial institutions now offer multi-factor authentication. One method of authentication is to send a text to your mobile phone when you are logging in to your account. To log in, you will have to enter the word or number that is texted to your phone.
7. Encrypt Data – Your sensitive financial data should be encrypted if you store it on your hard drive. If you change computers, be sure to clean or destroy the hard drive of your old computer.

Here are two other helpful safety steps. First, you can obtain a free credit report from the three major credit bureaus each year. To obtain one, search online for “free credit report” and follow the recommended steps. You should check your credit report annually to verify that there are no unfamiliar financial actions on your account. Second, you may go online to SSA.gov and create a “my Social Security” account. With this account, you will be able to monitor your Social Security records.