Cybersecurity experts are warning shoppers to be cautious when Cyber Monday shopping.
The day known for bundles of online savings is also a day notoriously known for hackers trying to steal your personal information.
"Number one, never use your debit card, never give your bank for ACH information, never do anything like that," said Alan Crowetz, WPTV Cybersecurity Expert. "In addition to a credit card, you can use another lay of protection like PayPal which adds another layer of payment protection between you and whoever you're buying from."
Crowetz, who is also the CEO of InfoStream, a local IT firm, said each year, shoppers fall victim to scams compromising their banking and personal information.
"Rule number one is be paranoid," said Crowetz. "Question every coupon, question every site you go to. Question the deal. If the adage, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. It really applies to Cyber Monday so be careful, number one."
He said the best thing to do to protect yourself is to avoid all links in ad emails.
He said instead to go directly to the retailer website and try and find the same deal.
When creating fake phishing emails, hackers can use identical store logos and make the ad looks very convincing.
Crowetz said shoppers should also look at reviews for sites they're shopping on.
He said whenever there is a sense of urgency associated with shopping, such as Cyber Monday, shoppers often let their guard down trying to secure a deal before anyone else.
