Protecting Your Identity During Holiday Shopping

Columbia, S.C. (WOLO) — The hottest items at the lowest prices, all in the same place and available at the click of a button. As more and more people turn to the web for holiday gift giving, the Department of Consumer Affairs is asking shoppers to take caution before clicking confirm. Juliana Harris with the Department of Consumer Affairs explains,”Scammers follow the headlines they know that we’re going to be shopping a lot and you could be more susceptible to scams or identity theft during this time.” According to Consumer Affairs their identity theft unit saw a 13% spike in scam reports from December to January. “Scammers do not discriminate. It’s anybody that can be targeted by these scammers,” Harris tells ABC Columbia. Looking for an S after http in the URL is just one way to make sure the connection is secure and your identity is protected. Harris offers these additional tips, “If you look in the bottom of your browser window you know sometimes there’s a padlock there that would be an indication that it was a secure connection. You want to try and use a credit card as opposed to a debit card because there is more consumer protection involved.” Consumer affairs is cautioning about donating to online charities, something they expect will be an increased concern following recent flooding. Harris says, “You want to make sure that it is an established and well known charity if you’re going to give to one and not something that popped up over night.” Whether donating for disaster relief or purchasing the perfect present, Consumer Affairs say shopping smart online will minimize stress during the holiday season.