Mark Parker Chief Technology Officer, Mark Parker

Beware of Grinches trying to steal your personal information!

With the pandemic, online shopping is more popular than ever. As a result, cybersecurity experts are warning that criminals are coming up with lots of new ways to scam you.

According to KnowBe4, a cyber security firm, one common tactic used by scammers is to make fake websites that look identical to popular online shops. If you click on an unexpected email or advertisement, you could be directed to one of these fake sites and login to your account, exposing your credentials.

Listed below are some tips on how to spot a holiday shopping scam from KnowBe4:

• Do your holiday shopping on popular websites that you know and trust. Don’t buy from a shop you don’t recognize unless you’re positive it is legitimate and safe.

• If you receive an email asking you to log in to a website that you use, log in to your account through your browser–not through links in an email. This way, you can ensure you’re logging in to the real website and not a phony look-alike.

• Only shop online while you’re on a secure wi-fi network (no public wi-fi) and only shop on secure websites that have “https” in the website URL. It’s never safe to submit payment information or login credentials on non-secure websites or public wi-fi networks.

• Avoid any offers that seem too good to be true. Those offers are most likely an attempt to scam you.

The bottom line, think before you act.

One last tip: never click on links or open attachments in an email that you weren’t expecting. This single rule could help you avoid many common holiday hacker tactics.

In the meantime, if you get an email to your City email address from KnowBe4, take the time to read it.  The City has contracted with this cyber security firm to assist us following the malware attack on our system.

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to complete our cyber security training.  Please look for additional cyber security emails in the new year.

Happy and Safe Holidays,
Mark Parker, Chief Technology Officer