The First Line of Defense Against Online Holiday Scams

There’s an increased risk of falling victim to identity theft and fraud during the holiday season, especially as you work your way down your shopping list amid the frenzy of the season. According to 2022 findings by Norton, about one in three adults (34 percent) in the U.S. say they tend to take more risks with online shopping closer to the holidays. Globally, that number was 32 percent. Black Friday is the most popular day for fraud attempts. So, as we continue our Holiday Safety Smarts series, the focus of protecting oneself from holiday online shopping scams will be the focus for this week’s safety article. The first line of defense is your holiday online shopping payment method. AARP’s 2022 study found that the majority, (64 percent), of the U.S. adults surveyed knew that using a credit card rather than a debit card was a safer option when making online purchases. 72 percent of respondents said they planned to use a credit card to make purchases, up from 67 percent in 2021. 68 percent said they planned to use cash, while 67 percent planned to use a debit card which was down from 69 percent in 2021. There’s an increased...