In Case You Missed Us: Credit Card Security on Tech Talk on KTRS

It's the most wonderful time of the year for shopping and giving gifts. It's also the most popular time of the year to be aware of what is going on with your online banking and personal information. Online shopping and swiping cards in the store becomes second nature during the holiday season. Our IT expert, Jeff Groby, jined the Guy Phillips Show for Tech Talk to share some information on secure shopping.

Is it safe to shop online with your credit card?

Yes, but take caution. When online shopping using your credit card, it's important to be a critical consumer. Cross all your T's and dot your I's by checking that your anti-virus is updated and that you're using the latest browser.

Using your credit card is exponentially more secure than using your debit card online. When you use your debit card, you lose your consumer coverage, which could help protect you in the event your information is compromised. If you do not have a credit card but you want to make online purchases, another avenue would be to get a prepaid debit card with a predetermined amount available. That way, the cyber criminals would only have access to the funds on that card, instead of your entire checking account.

Jeff also mentioned that it's important to keep an eye on any suspicious activity on your banking statements. Online banking makes it easy for you to stay on top of each transaction your account comes into contact with. If anything looks out of the ordinary, contact your bank immediately.

Best Practice Tips for Online Safety this Season

• Don't do anything personal, including online shopping, on a public WiFi network.
• Check to make sure the website you're visiting is secure.
• Always close your browser and reopen it after doing something with sensitive information.
• Don't store banking or personal information on websites.
• Clear your cookies.
• Don't believe email offers that seem too good to be true. Investigate online offers further.
• Be aware of common things to look out for in Phishing emails.

Tech Talk Presented by SumnerOne

We hope you've got your holiday shopping almost wrapped up, but if you haven't, be sure to follow these tips for shopping online. Just remember, these tips and information apply all year-round. Take this information and get ready to head into 2019 as an informed critical consumer. Be sure to tune in this Friday afternoon on The Big 550 KTRS at 4:20 for another installment of Tech Talk. If you have more questions for the experts at SumnerOne, please give us a call.

Originally published December 20, 2018, updated April 18, 2019