Amboy Bank News

Tis the Season to Review Safe Online Shopping Tips

With the holidays fast approaching, consumers are already starting their shopping, and according to surveys, nearly half of all shoppers said they plan on buying all or most of their gifts online and nearly 98% of consumers planning on doing at least some of their holiday shopping online. While the ease of online shopping has made holiday shopping for many consumers much more convenient, there are best practices that consumers should continue to keep in mind to best ensure they do not become targeted by scammers. A few tips to keep in mind:

• Only make online purchases from legitimate retailers. If you have never heard of the store or seller, check to see if there are online reviews that have been posted over an expansive period of time by a sizable number of people. A store or seller that appears to have few reviews over a short period of time and also appear overly favorable could be a strong indicator of fake reviews posted with the intention of luring in unsuspecting consumers.
• Check your order status and shipping progress by logging into your online shopping account or making a note of the shipping tracking number. This will help prevent confusing a scam email or text message containing a phishing link with your actual purchase and tracking status.
• Be wary of social media “deals” that appear to be too good to be true.  If you have never heard of the company or product, do not click on their ad. By conducting a quick Google search of the company name to read the reviews or any mentions of scams you can better protect yourself if you are still interested in further viewing the product.
• Do not visit a website that does not start with https. The ‘s’ means the site is secure, and the exclusion of this letter means any information or payment entered onto that site is not secure.

By being mindful of our online shopping habits we can avoid turning our holiday shopping experience upside down.

Amboy Bank is a New Jersey based bank with 135 years in the local communities. FDIC insured up to the legal maximum, Amboy Bank will continue to successfully prioritize the best interests of the customers first. Please continue to check our Security Center for updates and tips, and if you experience any security related activity with any of your Amboy Bank accounts, please contact us immediately at 877-222-6269 or reportfraud@amboybank.com.