How to Avoid Scams on Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Small Business Saturday, and Giving Tuesday

It seems every year people spend more and more money during Black Friday and Cyber Monday for holiday gifts and donate to charities on Giving Tuesday. Unfortunately, cybercriminals know this and will do their best to get access to your credit card swipes, your identity, and online transactions. With the large amount of cybercrime and data breaches that have taken place this year, it’s more important than ever to make sure you are being vigilant and taking steps to protect yourself. Here are a few tips to keep you safe as you donate to your favorite charities and buy gifts for your friends and loved ones:

How to Protect Yourself on Black Friday. A lot of the breaches that occur on Black Friday occur when you're shopping at brick-and-mortar stores from point-of-sale (PoS) systems. These breaches can occur when a criminal gets access to the PoS system by installing malware designed to collect your information. Hackers can also install malware in online shopping carts that send your banking information directly to them. This can be avoided if you use sec