Online Safety Tips for the Holidays

While all may be jolly and bright during the holidays, some criminals find it to be the perfect time to scam innocent victims. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) provided the following tips to protect you and your business from holiday scams and malicious cyber campaigns.

When using email – 

• Don’t open emails or ecards from people you don’t know.
• Don’t open attachments or click on links from unsolicited emails. 
• Don’t provide personal or financial information via email – legitimate business won’t solicit sensitive information in this way.  

When shopping online – 

• Shop with reputable, established vendors – don’t be tricked by someone claiming to be something they aren’t. 
• Verify a charity’s authenticity before making any online donations.
• Take note of the phone number and physical address of any online merchant you use in case there’s a problem with your transaction or bill. 
• Make sure the information you provide online to make a purchase is encrypted – either “https:” or a padlock icon will be located in the URL. Please note that some cybercriminals will create a fake padlock icon to trick you, so make sure the icon is in the appropriate place for your browser. 
• Use a low-limit credit card to make online purchases as you’ll get more fraud protection than paying with a debit card and limit the exposure of the funds in your checking account. 
• Consider using a payment gateway (PayPal, Google Wallet or Apple Pay) to make purchases – you’ll only enter your credit card information once and the online merchant will never see it.
• Use only reputable shopping apps and check your settings to ensure your data is secure. 
• Review your statements regularly and keep copies of your receipts or confirmation pages. If there is any discrepancy, report it to your financial institution immediately.

If you’ve found an unauthorized transaction in any of your Pinnacle Bank accounts, please contact us immediately at 877-759-7939.