Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 2812 HTCinc.net | Fall 2016 Life Hack: 6 Ways to Prevent Online Credit Card Fraud It's 10 p.m. on December 23. You're snuggled down with the kids watching a holiday classic when a familiar ding! signals a new text message from Uncle Robert. Gonna make Christmas dinner after all! Can't wait to see everyone soon :) You're ecstatic — the whole family will be together! But those feelings of yuletide joy are quickly suppressed as you suddenly realize what's (and what’s not) under your tree. There's a gift for everyone in the family — except for Uncle Robert, of course. Luckily, you live in the digital age, and producing a thoughtful gift is possible without facing hordes of holiday shoppers, mile-long lines and stores that close at 9 p.m. Although it’s mind-boggling to think of the product access we have without ever leaving the living room, there are a few unfortunate drawbacks to such powerful connectivity. Online credit card fraud is a prevalent concern among online shoppers, as hackers seem to consistently find new and inventive ways to steal information. Worry not — there are several precautions you can take to protect your information when shopping online. 1. Use websites you know and trust. It can be tempting to open up your search engine, type in a random gift idea and then sift through the results. However, it's better to begin your hunt for a holiday deal on a trusted site. Search results can be rigged to trick you, especially when you venture beyond the first page of links. That means instead of a search engine, go directly to a retailer or online store you are familiar with and search for the item within the site. 2. Don't shop while sharing a network. Public Wi-Fi is a wonderful asset for browsing the web, checking email and surfing through social media on the go. But when it comes to making purchases, it's not a smart idea. The unsecured Wi-Fi at your favorite corner coffee shop is convenient, but it makes acquiring your username and password easier for thieves who might be on the same network. While it's OK to use public Wi-Fi to compare kitchen mixers or look at leather- bound notebooks, it's best to wait until you get home to your password-protected network to place your order. 3. Search for the "S." Any credible shopping site will have secure sockets layer (or SSL) encryption installed. It's easy to determine whether the site does or does not — just look for the "s" at the beginning of the website address. SSL-encrypted sites will start