The holiday shopping season is in full swing and for those of us who reach for the mouse, rather than the mall experience, cyber-criminals lie waiting to steal our holiday cheer and your hard-earned dollars. Phishers, spammers, and all sorts of cyber-scammers are working hard to defraud us as we go online to purchase gifts for our loved ones during this holiday season.
The problem is equally serious for online shops and shoppers alike. According to one of the top analyst firms, Gartner, consumer worries about cyber-criminals have cost online merchants over $1.9B this year. Nearly half of the 155 million U.S. adults who go online expressed some anxiety about the threat from cyber-criminals in their online activities.
NameProtect, the only company that offers a full spectrum of services to manage the life cycle of a brand in today's digital economy, understands the core of this problem. The company was founded because it saw the dramatic effect the Internet would have on the digital marketplace and ultimately the consumer. This holiday season NameProtect encourages consumers to follow 10 key tips when shopping online:
1. Shop at trusted, recognized websites. Amazon.com is going to be a safer shopping experience than JoesElectronicsHut.ph |
2. Websites for large "brick and mortar" retail stores are going to be more secure. Plus you can return to the store if there is a problem, e.g. BestBuy.com |
3. Check the URL of the website you are shopping at. Major retailers will not misspell their domain name, but a cyber-squatter will |
4. Be careful of deep discounts on designer, luxury goods. A $10 Rolex is not the genuine article! |
5. Make sure the website is secure, the URL should start with https: and there should be a key padlock symbol on the bottom corner of the page |
6. Never ever go to a site by clicking on a link in an email; type the address yourself |
7. Use your credit card online, but not your debit card. Debit cards do not always have the same amount of fraud protection. Check with your bank to be sure |
8. If you receive an invoice online for something you did not purchase, it may be a scam. Look up the name of the company via Google and contact the company that way. Replying to the email may put you in the hands of a scammer |
9. Do not send your credit card details in an email, this is not a secure means of transmitting information and can be copied easily to others |
10. Buy gift cards directly from the retailer, not on eBay or Craigslist. Websites that solicit personal information with the promise of free gift cards or other incentives are not usually legitimate |
"In providing Internet brand protection services to organizations, we understand well the threat to consumers posed by cyber-criminals," says Malia Horine, General Manager of Digital Brand Management Services for NameProtect. "Cyber-criminals' techniques become more sophisticated every year. As the Internet continues to weave itself into the fabric of everyday life, online merchants must take a more proactive role in protecting both themselves, and their customers. The continued growth of the internet economy is at stake."
About NameProtect
NameProtect, a digital brand management company, provides a comprehensive suite of trademark clearance and advanced monitoring services that support the entire life cycle of a brand in today's digital economy. From creation to growth, maturity and optimization, only NameProtect has the technological innovation and Intellectual Property expertise to assist companies to monitor their brands every step of the way.
Founded in 1997, NameProtect assists its customers, which include leading law firms, Fortune 500 companies and other business worldwide, in meeting the evolving challenges of protecting brand assets in today's global economy.
