Orlando, Fla.—The day is today, the holidays are not coming anymore; they’re here! Proof of it? It’s Cyber Monday. Although this Black Friday was record breaking for in-store retail, many of us got really comfortable making our purchases they way we did during the pandemic. Widely regarded as the official start to the Holiday shopping season, Black Friday and Cyber Monday are exciting because many retailers announce limited-time sales that promise huge savings to die-hard consumers. The offers are good, and delivery operations have become really sophisticated making it much more easier every time to receive your items whether at home, office or where you are— as well as to return merchandise when it does not meet your expectations.
However, your shopping experience is not free from risk when you shop online. The following are a few of the activities you must keep an eye on to protect yourself from theft.
Phishing Attacks
In a phishing attack, a bad actor tries to trick you into doing something you wouldn’t ordinarily do like clicking on a suspicious link. Phishing links commonly lead to fake login pages that prompt you to authenticate yourself on one of your web accounts.
To protect against a phishing attack, you should exercise caution around the links you receive from people whom you don’t know. You should also always verify the legitimacy of a web page’s domain before attempting to sign in with your login credentials.
Financial Malware
Sometimes a phishing email comes with a malicious attachment. Those programs can then steal your banking credentials using fake login pages gaining the ability to log all of your keystrokes.
Installing an anti-virus solution onto your computer and keeping it up to date can be helpful.
Also enabling a two-factor authentication on your accounts is highly recommended.
Online Scams
As the golden rule, if an offer seems too good to be true, it probably is. If you have any doubt, contact the company making the offer directly and confirm whether the deal is legitimate.
Given the rise in frequency and cost of cyber crimes, individuals should consider purchasing some level of personal cyber insurance if their homeowners insurance provides the option. In 2020, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center received almost 800,000 complaints of cyber crimes, with a total estimated cost of $4.2 billion. That comes out to an average cost of over $5,300 per cyber crime.
More and more insurance companies are now beginning to offer protection against these risks is by buying a personal cyber insurance policy either as a personal cyber insurance coverage, or an endorsement.
Cyber financial loss from fraud coverage
Coverage for financial loss or fraud as a result of a cyber event can refer to a wide range of scenarios. These include identity theft, stolen bank funds or fraudulent use of credit cards or checks. Traditionally, this type of protection has been available as part of a standalone identity theft coverage policy, an identity theft endorsement for a homeowners insurance policy or identity theft resolution assistance through a credit card company. But identity theft coverage alone does not protect against the wider range of risks posed by cyber security threats.
Other types of coverage offered by various insurers include:
- Data breach
- Cyber bullying
At Orlando Insurance Center we are a full-service independent insurance local agency in Orlando, Florida. As such, we are available to offer a much broader menu of insurance products for our customers than you would find buying direct from one company. We pride ourselves on being able to customize insurance coverage for the unique needs of our community, and our attentiveness is unparalleled. Our clients love that we are not just selling the insurance but educating them on protecting their assets and their loved ones. We meet with every customer to discuss their short-term and long-term insurance requirements so they have the protection they need now with an eye to the future as well.
Let your local insurance specialists at Orlando Insurance Center help you save in the purchase of insurance bundles. Give us a call today at (407) 680-1214— for an initial consultation and quotes from among 20 different insurance carriers who support us!
Lizandra Mezquita
LICENSED AGENT
SALES
"Email me" <lizandra [at] buscandoseguro [dot] com>