FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — Digital shopping carts are filling up ahead of the season of giving.<\/p>\n
The National Retail Federation says online continues to be the top holiday shopping destination, with 55% of shoppers planning to make purchases digitally.<\/p>\n
With the holiday survey suggesting people will spend more than $600 on gifts this year, cybersecurity experts are cautioning consumers.<\/p>\n
“The bad actors have got increasingly better at creating false websites and using social media to create offers that are just too good to be true,” says University of Phoenix Lead Cybersecurity Faculty at the College of Business and Information Technology, Stephanie Benoit-Kurtz.<\/p>\n
Benoit-Kurtz says scammers are getting increasingly sophisticated.<\/p>\n
ABC PRICE TRACKER: See cost of gas, groceries, housing where you live <\/a><\/p>\n “You have to look for simple things,” she said. “One, deals that are too good to be true. Sometimes, it’ll be misspellings or the web address and the ‘about the company’ content will be a little off.”<\/p>\n Several online tools are available to protect your purchase.<\/p>\n “Google has a safe browsing site tool — you can actually use that tool to identify how long that site has been in practice and whether it’s considered a safe website,” Benoit-Kurtz said.<\/p>\n Malware and virus protection can also identify sites based on how long they’ve been up.<\/p>\n “If you try to go to a site or try to go to a site and your antivirus or malware blocks you from going to that site, don’t allow that site,” Benoit-Kurtz said. “There’s a reason that that software is blocking you.”<\/p>\n You can also visit the Better Business Bureau to see if the company is legit and has any complaint history.<\/p>\n As for storing credit card information, while there is the convenience factor, cybersecurity experts suggest setting up a digital wallet instead.<\/p>\n “There are retailers, especially small retailers, that store entire credit card info,” Benoit-Kurtz said. “PINs, expiration dates, all kinds of data that, really, if that data is compromised, leaves you out there.”<\/p>\n You also want to keep an eye out for scammers taking advantage of your generosity.<\/p>\n If making a charitable donation, be sure to check the spelling of the organization or disaster relief fund.<\/p>\n Benoit-Kurtz went on to say scammers can create fraudulent charities that are just one letter off, with donations going straight to the scammers’ crypto wallet.<\/p>\n For news updates, follow Vanessa Vasconcelos on Facebook<\/a>, X<\/a> and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n Copyright \u00a9 2025 KFSN-TV. All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n