YORK, Pa. — Amazon Prime Day brings in hundreds of thousands of consumers each year for the company's birthday. Cybersecurity Awareness Month is also in October, so shoppers are asked to watch out for scammers.
Along with online shoppers, scammers and fraudsters also look forward to the big shopping day. FOX43 spoke with the chairman of the Cybersecurity Association of Pennsylvania, Scott Davis, for tips on how to avoid getting scammed.
There are safeguards shoppers should keep in mind when purchasing items online. Scammers are able to reach consumers on different platforms, including but not limited to email, text, social media, and phone calls.
"So much of it is common sense but what the cyber attacker relies on is the emotional advantage that I can gain over a person, if you look back at COVID or a natural disaster the need to know information bypasses our root cause of ‘should i click it to get me to click that link,'" said Davis.
According to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and Davis, it all starts with cybersecurity. The best ways to avoid scammers are:
- Do not open emails from people you don’t know.
- Be careful with links and new website addresses.
- Secure your personal information.
- Stay informed on the latest cyber threats.
- Use strong passwords.
- Keep your software up to date and maintain preventative software programs.
- Update the operating systems on your electronic devices.
“Another tip, with credit cards especially, more and more credit card manufacturers allow you to create virtual cards. The virtual cards are almost temporary numbers that you can set up as a one-time use that can shield you against repeated attacks or repeated attempts on that card," said Davis.
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