Another tip in a series provided by the Offices of Information Systems & Computing and Audit, Compliance & Privacy

Safe Shopping

The window for holiday shopping has expanded, and “holiday” deals are now available year-round. There’s also the day-to-day shopping we all do.

When shopping, don’t use your debit card. Debit cards don’t have the same consumer protections as credit cards. Although debit cards may have zero liability protections like credit cards, your bank account may be emptied before those protections apply. The debit card issuer may delay the return of your money while they investigate possible fraud.

Use your credit card instead.

Here’s how to keep your credit card information safer:

• Be wary of unfamiliar vendors or websites. Use Google to check the name of the company for possible complaints or problems.

• Don’t be fooled by shipping or invoice notifications you aren’t anticipating. Scammers often use these types of notifications to fraudulently gather your personal information when you respond to them. Instead, ignore these.

• Don’t supply your personal information unsolicited: be suspicious of attempts to “verify” your credit card information. Contact the merchant or vendor independently.

For additional tips, see the One Step Ahead link on the Information Security website: www.upenn.edu/computing/security/