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Cyber Monday: Scammers, security and (don’t forget) small businesses

Posted at 5:45 AM, Nov 26, 2018
and last updated 2018-11-26 08:55:54-05

Cyber Monday is finally here and Adobe Analytics expects this years online shopping holiday to top the rest. Adobe estimates online sales will reach $7.8 billion this year.

Kelly Trevino, of the Better Business Bureau in Corpus Christi says, “instead of going out and waiting in line at 3 a.m. to get into the store to get that flash deal or those extra incentives, they’re sitting at home waiting for those deals to come up and all they have to is click a button.”

Trevino stated that last year, Cyber Monday was the first $2 billion mobile shopping day in the U.S.

One local business owner, however, hopes that consumers remember the small businesses during the online shopping day.

Lori Ybarra, owner of Lola’s Street Boutique, has been going strong in her mobile store for four years. This will be the first time she’s participating in Cyber Monday. “There’s little guys like us, we also have websites and we’re also doing really great deals,” says Ybarra.

She says with her website up and running, she says it’s great that local businesses get to partake in the online shopping holiday. Most of the clothes and accessories Ybarra has at Lola’s, you can find on her website.Ybarra even provides safe checkout and delivery, and if you choose, Ybarra will even meet for pick-up.

For many consumers who will be shopping online, this is the time of year that scammers will be on the prowl.

The BBB says to check a few things before submitting your private information. Such as checking the browser bar, the browser should say ‘httpS’, the ‘S’ stands for secure.
According to the BBB, if you want to avoid porch pirates, authorize a signature for deliveries, this way your package will not be left on your porch.

The BBB states these tips for shopping on Cyber Monday:

Parental control. There is software you can install on your kids’ and teens’ computers and mobile devices to limit the websites they can access. This is something to consider for retail websites the younger shoppers in your household may access.

Hackers like kids IDs. Since kids and teens have not established a credit history or have no blemishes on their credit report, hackers are always on the lookout for their information. Hackers can obtain credit cards, loans and more in your child’s name. Talk to your family about the importance of not giving out personal information in soliciting emails or on social media.

Email phishing. Teach your teens and young adults about how to catch phishing emails.

Looking out for scams. People tend to shop based on what peers and celebrities are wearing or using. Scammers will try to lure them to click on links such as “free Kylie products,” “free concerts,” “free games” and more. If it seems too good to be true, do not click.

HTTP and HTTPS. Before sending any personal and sensitive information over the Internet, make sure the website has “https://” at the beginning of its web address. The “S” at the end of HTTPS indicates that the website is secure and your information is encrypted, which makes it safe to enter credit card number or other personal information.

For more information on how to protect yourself during Cyber Monday, you can do that here.