5 Ways to Protect Your Bank Account from Online Shopping Scams and Hackers This Holiday Season

 
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The holiday rush is officially here, and so are the deals! For FASNY FCU members, online shopping can make it easier to fit gift buying around work, family, and service to their communities. With Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers filling inboxes and social media feeds, scammers count on shoppers moving quickly from a deal to checkout without verifying the details.

Fake storefronts can resemble legitimate retailers, while messages about limited-time offers or delivery problems can make an unfamiliar link seem routine. At FASNY Federal Credit Union, we want our members to enjoy the convenience of online shopping while knowing what to check before sharing payment or personal information.

Here are five tips to protect yourself from online scams this holiday season:

  • Verify the seller and website: Look closely at the web address for misspellings or unusual endings. If you’re unfamiliar with a seller, search for independent reviews or complaints before placing an order.

  • Choose your payment method carefully: Credit cards generally offer stronger purchase and dispute protections than debit cards. A digital wallet like Apple Pay can also enable you to pay without entering your card details at checkout. Be cautious if a seller insists on payment by gift card or cryptocurrency.

  • Question unusually low prices: If an offer appears too good to be true, be especially cautious. Check the seller’s reputation and look for other concerns, such as misspellings or missing product and return information. If the deal arrived in a suspicious email or text message, mark it as spam.

  • Check shipping and order updates directly: If a text or email claims there’s a problem with your delivery, don’t click the link in the message. Open the retailer’s website yourself to check your order status or find its customer service information.

  • Review your account activity often: Check your transactions regularly through FASNY FCU’s mobile banking app and report any charges you don’t recognize right away.

Taking a few minutes to check if a promotional offer or order update is a scam can help you enjoy the deals this season without putting your financial information at risk. If you notice an unfamiliar charge or think you may have shared account information with a fraudulent site, contact FASNY FCU right away at (518) 434-3728. Our team can help you review the activity and determine what to do next. Wishing you and your loved ones a very happy (and scam-free) holiday season from FASNY Federal Credit Union. 

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