Online shopping is by far my favorite way to shop. I’ve been shopping online for all of my adult life. I started shopping at half.com when it was first founded in 1999. They even sent me a starter package when I joined with a shirt, hat, etc. Originally I started shopping online to save money on my college textbooks because WOW those were expensive. Half.com was purchased by eBay in 2000 and I quickly switched over to Amazon. The rest is history.
In the 22+ years that I’ve been shopping online, I’ve learned a lot. One of the most important is how to protect my identity and my money!
January 24th – 28th is Data Privacy Week, the perfect time to take stock of your personal cybersecurity and to take steps to be more secure online. Check out this Identity Theft Protection Guide by Security.org to get started!
Over those 2 decades of shopping online I have had a few bumps in the road. My credit card number has been stolen and I have had one of my logins hacked. Thankfully, I NEVER EVER EVER use a debit card online so I was able to easily dispute charges on my credit card and shut that down. I also make sure to use passwords that are much safer (something I didn’t do when I first started online shopping).
I also have signed up for an Identity Theft Protection Service. It’s so great. They constantly are monitoring my information (including my email address and the email addresses of my family members). I get a notification if my information is found on the Dark Web or if there is any suspicious activity. It’s been wonderful.
Check out the Best Identity Theft Protection Services page on Security.org to learn more about the different services available to help guard your privacy online.
There is so much to learn. Be sure to check out The Identity Theft Protection Guide on Security.org to read more about the following topics:
- What Is Identity Theft?
- Statistics
- How it Happens
- Potential Victims
- Impact
- Prevention
- Buying Guide
- Recovery
This post is sponsored by Sivan Social. All comments and opinions are my own.
