SAN ANTONIO - 'Tis the season for good will and holiday cheer, but unfortunately that doesn't mean scammers and cyber thieves are backing down from getting their hands on your hard-earned money.
- Cyber Monday essentially a holiday for thieves
- Paying attention is key to stopping scammers
- If something looks wrong, contact your bank immediately
The National Retail Federation estimates that 164 million people will shop between now and November 26 during the Thanksgiving stretch. That same study also suggests 75 million people will cash in for Cyber Monday deals. All sounds well and good until your bank account gets compromised. That's a total Grinch move.
We asked Mary Ellen Archer with Jefferson Bank to weigh in on some easy ways to protect yourself.
"Being alert is one of the biggest things. One thing we have at Jefferson Bank is we've got alert messages that you can custom design to any level you want so you will be notified when your account goes to a certain balance," she said.
Archer also says any time you see activity that looks unusual or that you know wasn't you, to call your bank immediately.
"Email scams, if it looks too good to be true, it is. If it says 'https,' that is key, then that's a safe website. Any free Wi-Fi, you are exposing yourself. Wait until you get home in your own private Wi-Fi that you have control over," Archer said.