Cyber Thieves are officially out these days to steal your credit card information or any other private personal information they can intercept as you shop online during the holiday season. Ongoing awareness of these scams is critical so that you are cautious and informed in order to protect your personal and financial information.

Take a few moments to read over these tips to ensure your financial and personal security:

1. Be extremely careful when using free Wi-Fi hotspots to shop online, as you may be watched by data sniffers.
2. Only shop on secure, reputable Websites that: A. You know via other means (the press; you shop at their store) B. Look for “https” in the URL, C. The Website has a small padlock icon in the bottom right corner of your browser or the URL turns green, signaling a “safe” site.
3. Never offer more personal information to online stores than absolutely necessary (e.g., Social Security numbers, bank account numbers, passwords, PINs).
4. Never use the same password across multiple Websites, and do not use your name, pet’s name, birthdate, dictionary word or other easily guessed attribute as a password. Use a combination of letters, symbols and numbers and vary upper and lower case.
5. Leave suspicious Websites immediately (that ask for more information than normal or require you to double enter information).
6. Do not respond to emails, text messages, and phone calls that advertise the sale of gift cards, holiday gifts, promotions, contests and jobs – unless it’s a reputable company or store you frequently shop at and you know it’s a legitimate advertisement.
7. Log out of your online accounts when you are not actively shopping, and password protect your smartphone, tablet and laptop in case they do go missing.
8. You should ensure your home computers are secured with a firewall and antivirus software before performing any online transactions. Operating system patches should be downloaded when made available by software vendors. Make sure you also protect mobile devices (mobile phones, tablets, etc.) used to conduct online transactions by installing anti-virus software.
9. Use automated account alerts and frequently monitor your credit card charges and bank balances, allowing you to catch fraud immediately.
10. Only cyber shop on a non-public (e.g., not in a library) computer with a secure Internet connection, updated anti-virus software and up-to-date operating system.
11. Try to avoid tempting holiday offers, such as free downloadable applications for smartphones, anti-virus software, screen savers, ring tones and electronic greeting cards, which may be infected with viruses and/or malware.
12. Only donate to known charities and only when you have initiated the gift. Never send money (via check, cash or electronically) based solely on a wall post, email or phone call. Respond to such correspondence by contacting the charity on a reputable phone number or Website.
13. If you shop on auction sites like Craigslist or eBay you unfortunately you might purchase merchandise that will never be delivered. Be sure to follow the best practices published by Craigslist and other public auction websites to avoid scams.
14. Fraudsters often place bogus advertisements for free prizes on social media like Facebook and Twitter. We urge you to not respond to these advertisements.

If you take these tips to heart, you will not only save yourself the stress of shopping in person, you won’t have to think twice about doing your holiday buying online. It is crucial that you immediately report any unauthorized transactions to First Financial if you notice any fraudulent activity on your accounts. You can contact us by calling 732.312.1500, e-mailing info@firstffcu.com or stopping into any one of our branches. You can also report scams to the Federal Trade Commission or call toll-free 1.877.FTC.HELP (1.877.382.4357).