Holiday shopping tips to keep your information and gifts safe this season – WBNG-TV

(WBNG) Tis the season to start holiday shopping. With Thanksgiving days away, Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday will be here before we know it.

If youre looking to beat the crowds and are shopping online this year, there are some tips you should know.

Make sure the websites youre using are legit.

At the top of your web browser where you search for websites, theres a lock at that top part. As long as theres a closed lock there that means its secured. And thats most websites like Amazon, Bestbuy.com, Walmart.com, said lead technician at 607 Tech Solutions Mathew Jachimowicz.

Besides looking for the lock, you can look at the link in your browser.

When youre going on a website make sure it says https which means secure so its a secure website, you know its valid and its not a fake website, said Broome County Sheriffs Office deputy Robert Stapleton.

Another tip to keep your information safe is to stay away from public WiFi.

Because it could be hacked, just a better idea using your own, said Stapleton.

Once your cart is full and youre ready to checkout, make sure youre using a credit card instead of your debit.

Just in case it gets stolen, the number is backed by the credit bureau, you have that logo on the front of your card. But you want to monitor your credit cards and your credit report, to make sure theres no unauthorized transactions, said Stapleton.

Using something like PayPal so companies, when you do buy something, they wont see your account number or your credit card info at all, said Jachimowicz.

Its also important to keep your packages safe once they arrive at your doorstep.

Around the holiday times we do see an increase in larcenies of packages on peoples front porches, so change that shipping address. Have it sent to work or a friends house or a relatives house that you know might be home, said Stapleton.

The Broome County Sheriffs Office says home security cameras can help steer porch pirates away from your home, and if you run into that situation, you can share your video with local law enforcement.

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Holiday shopping tips to keep your information and gifts safe this season - WBNG-TV