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Do's And Don'ts For Shopping On Cyber Monday

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Cyber Monday, the Monday after Thanksgiving, has become traditionally the biggest online shopping day of the year.

Since Thanksgiving, almost 134 million people went shopping in stores and online. That's down a little over 5 percent from last year. Total spending for the weekend is expected to fall 11 percent from last year.

Part of the reason is that stores started offering deals before Thanksgiving. Some retailers are hoping Cyber Monday might help make up the difference.

Tom Peterson of Digital River joined the WCCO Morning Show team to discuss his tips for how to tackle Cyber Monday shopping.

Before you start holiday shopping:

  • Choose one card to use for your online holiday shopping and keep your credit limit low.
  • Opt for a credit or prepaid card rather than using your debit card for holiday purchases.
  • Protect your devices with passwords. Passwords should be different from device to device.
  • Update the security on all the devices you plan to use for shopping -- your computer, tablet, mobile phone. Include sweeps for malware and antivirus software.

Once you're ready to shop:

  • Look for signs that the site you are shopping on is secure and protected.
  • If you open an account for an online store, make sure you use a strong password that is different from the passwords on your other online accounts.
  • Avoid shopping via public WiFi networks and public terminals.
  • If you are shopping via apps, make sure they are from a trusted or official source.
  • Assist family members that may be new to the online experience.

And finally, after you've checked out:

  • Print and save records and receipts of your online transactions.
  • Check your credit card and bank statements frequently and report any unusual transactions right away.
  • Watch out for coupons and other offers that seem too good to be true. They probably are.
  • Verify that your returns have been processed correctly.
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