November 26, 2014
Las Vegas, NV – Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez
Masto advises consumers to take precautions during Cyber Monday (Dec. 1).
“Consumers should be careful with their online shopping transaction on Cyber
Monday,” said Masto. “Unsafe financial transactions conducted online or on
your smart phone can put you at risk for identity theft. Consumers should
take extra precautions when shopping online. Remember, if it sounds too
good to be true, then it probably is.”
Tips for on-line shoppers:
- Do your research. Make sure the website is reputable by
typing “review,” “scam,” or “complaint” into the search engine. Be sure to
read a few reviews — don’t rely on just one source. Ensure you have the
retailer's physical address and phone number in case you have problems with
the purchase.
- Order from a secure server. When making a payment
on-line, look for signs the site is secure. Examples include "https" (the
"s" stands for secure) in the address, and padlock symbol.
- Do not wire money or send cash. Legitimate sellers
never demand consumers to wire money as payment.
- Do not send personal or financial information through
e-mail.
- Regularly update your computer's security, including
anti-virus and anti-spyware programs. Don't click on a link or open an
attachment from an unknown source (this is applicable to your computer,
tablet, and smart phone).
- Beware of phishing. Never provide any credit card, bank
account or other personal information to anyone sending you an unsolicited
advertisement selling goods or services, either by phone, text, e-mail or
pop-up advertisement. Be wary of anyone calling or emailing to “confirm”
personal or financial information. Often, these are criminals trying to
obtain those facts under the guise of “confirmation.”
- Thoroughly review all financial statements for any
unusual activity. Immediately contact the company if an item looks
suspicious.
- Keep good records and save your receipts for returns
and exchanges. Whether you're ordering by mail, phone, or on-line, it is
important to keep detailed information about the transaction, including your
order number, shipping costs and dates, warranties, and refund and return
policies.
- Be cautious of public Wi-Fi hotspots and the
transactions you make while connected as these are often unsecure.
- Log out of banking websites when you are done using
them.
- Pay with a credit card. Credit cards offer protections
that debit cards do not. Consumers can often dispute charges with minimal
liability.
- Know your rights. Federal law requires that orders made
by mail, phone or online be shipped by the date promised or, if no delivery
time was stated, within 30 days. If the goods aren’t shipped on time, the
shopper can cancel and demand a refund.
These simple tips will make sure you and your devices stay safe online.
More information about steps that can be taken to prevent identity theft and
safeguard personal information is listed on the AG’s website:
http://ag.nv.gov/Hot_Topics/Victims/IDTheft/.
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