Shop Smart and Stay Safe: Your Guide to Avoiding Online Scams
In 2024 alone, consumers lost over $1 trillion to online scams, and most didn’t get their money back. Fake stores, payment traps, and phishing links are more convincing than ever, especially during the busy end-of-year shopping season.
To help you stay secure, Blue Ridge teams up with F-Secure every October for Cyber Security Awareness Month, providing tips, videos, and practical guides to help you shop safely and confidently.
End-of-Year Shopping = Peak Scam Season
From Singles’ Day to Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the holidays, scammers work overtime at the end of the year. With shoppers busier than ever — hunting for deals and rushing to check off gift lists — cybercriminals take advantage by creating fake websites, phishing emails, and fraudulent ads designed to steal your money and information.
Staying alert during these high-traffic shopping days is essential. Knowing what to look for and using trusted tools like Blue Ridge Total Protection can make all the difference.
Smart Shopping Tips
Stay one step ahead of scammers by being skeptical of urgency. Scams thrive on pressure tactics like “limited time offer,” “your account will be closed,” or “act now to claim your prize.” For example, a scam text might claim there’s a problem with your Amazon account and include a fake link that looks legitimate.
Keep your software updated to patch known vulnerabilities including outdated phones, laptops, or apps are easy targets for hackers.
Use strong, unique passwords for every account. Reusing a password for your email and bank account means a single breach could give scammers access to both. A password manager makes it easy to create and store strong, secure passwords without having to remember them all.
Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) wherever available. Even if someone gets your password, they won’t be able to log in without a secondary verification step, like a text code or authentication app.
Always check website URLs and sender addresses carefully. A scam email might come from “amaz0n-support.com” instead of “amazon.com,” or a fake banking site may have small spelling errors designed to trick you at a glance.
Use trusted security solutions, like Blue Ridge Total Protection, to automatically block malicious links, phishing attempts, and malware before they reach you.
Finally, avoid clicking links in emails, texts, or ads — even if they look legitimate. Instead, go directly to the official website or use the company’s official app. For example, if you get a text about a “delivery issue,” don’t click the link. Open the UPS, FedEx, or USPS app directly to check your order.
Protect Yourself with Blue Ridge Total Protection
Blue Ridge Total Protection, powered by F-Secure, is an internet security app that protects your devices at home or on-the-go. With identity monitoring, safe browsing, antivirus protection, password management, and more, you can shop, bank, and explore online with confidence. It’s available for iOS, Android, Mac, and PC.
Blue Ridge Total Protection keeps you and your family safe online with a powerful suite of tools. Safe Browsing blocks dangerous sites, while the VPN encrypts activity on public Wi-Fi to protect against hackers. The Password Vault creates and stores strong passwords across all devices, with autofill and alerts for weak or reused ones. Identity Monitoring uses human intelligence and dark web tracking to stop identity theft before it happens. Antivirus Protection defends against viruses, ransomware, and other threats, while Family Rules let you set limits and filters for safe, balanced online use.
Wrapping Up
Scams are harder to spot than ever. Blue Ridge Total Protection does the work for you by safeguarding your devices, personal data, and family so you can shop, stream, and browse online with total confidence. Ask about it today.