NEW YORK, NY (KMOX) - The pandemic may boost online holiday shopping this year. Experts are worried that will put personal data at greater risk.
A poll by Bankrate.com reveals many US consumers take shortcuts with their online security. 80-percent re-use online passwords for multiple accounts, nearly half save passwords and payment information on computers and phones, and more than a third use public wi-fi when using sensitive account info.
Ted Rossman, Credit Card Analyst at BankRate.com, says beyond avoiding those bad habits, there's another way to protect your accounts. "Pay with credit rather than debit. That's mostly if you're able to pay your bills in full and avoid interest. But it's also really good from a fraud standpoint, because a credit card is just a line of credit, it's really the bank's money, at least until you pay them back. Debit cards expose your checking account."
Rossman says you should also consider using disposable cards for online purchases or go through an intermediary such as PayPal. He adds it's important to check your credit report and bank and credit statements on a regular basis.
71 percent of holiday shoppers are projected to make purchases online this year, up from 51 percent last year.
@2020 Entercom (KMOX). All rights reserved.