Online security specialist reinforces holiday shopping tips
When musicians want to protect their recordings from digital piracy, they turn to online security specialist John Giacobbi. Now - just in time for the last-minute holiday shopping rush - the so-called 'Web Sheriff' has lent his unique perspective to the common consumer.
Although online shoppers will typically be more concerned with shipping deadlines than cybercrimal strategies this week, Giacobbi warned consumers that now is not the time to let their guard down.
"Crooks can lure you in with authentic looking emails asking to confirm or re-register account information, so always check the email address that it comes from and never give personal info to unsolicited enquiries," the Web Sheriff explained.
Consumers should also know their rights and hold online retailers to high standards. Websites that don't publish physical contact information such as telephone numbers and shipping addresses are often in direct violation of consumer protection laws, according to Giacobbi, and should be avoided.
Aside from dealing only with trusted business partners, consumers are encouraged to take a closer view of their online security strategies. Often times, cybercriminals are given a helping hand by Facebook and Twitter users prone to oversharing. Publicizing vacation plans, for example, can quickly lead to offline security threats once hackers pinpoint a consumer's location or shipping address.
