The holiday season is an exciting time to celebrate together with your friends and family.  It's also the time of year when a lot of people show their love through the giving of gifts.  As you purchase items for your loved ones this year, we want to take the time to remind you how important it is to take measures to keep your personal information safe.

America's Cyber Defense Agency provides four easy steps for staying safe online (https://www.cisa.gov/cybersecurity-awareness-month): 

1) Use strong passwords: "Strong passwords are long, random, and unique and include all four character types (uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and symbols). Password managers are a powerful tool to help you create strong passwords for each of your accounts."

2) Use Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): "You need more than a password to protect your online accounts; enabling MFA makes you significantly less likely to get hacked. Enable MFA on all your online accounts that offer it, especially email, social media, and financial accounts."

3) Be aware of phishing scams: "Be cautious of unsolicited messages asking for personal information. Avoid sharing sensitive information or credentials with unknown sources. Report phishing attempts and delete the message."

4) Update Software on your devices: "Ensuring your software is up to date is the best way to make sure you have the latest security patches and updates on your devices. Regularly check for updates if automatic updates are unavailable."

It's important to also protect your information when shopping in public so that you don't become an easy target for identity theft. 

1) Keep your wallet close to your person.  Use an RFID protected wallet for carrying your debit or credit card.  Utilize zippers on pockets or purses and keep the purse close to your person to prevent it from being stolen. 

2) Only use one form for payment and avoid carrying too much cash.  Carry only one debit or credit card for purchases.  This way you will only have one card to cancel in the event of theft.  

3) Be aware of your surroundings.  Don't get caught with your guard down in parking lots, around your vehicle, or while inside of stores.  Thieves are on the lookout for people not paying attention to who or what is around them. 

4) If meeting someone to purchase a marketplace item, try to only purchase from people that you know.  If you do not know the person, then use good judgement and always take someone with you and meet in a safe, public location to purchase items.  

These are just a few suggestions for staying safe while shopping this season.  For more information and suggestions, try visiting these government agency websites for their takes on protecting your information this year:

Federal Trade Commission- Online Shopping Tips: https://consumer.ftc.gov/media/79929 

Cyber Security Defense Agency- Holiday Online Shopping Guide:

https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/publications/Holiday%2520Online%2520Safety_tip%2520sheets_2020-v5-DW_508%2520pobs.pdf

Federal Communications Commission- Internet Safety Tips: 

https://transition.fcc.gov/cgb/Internet-Safety-Tips.pdf

Kansas Bureau of Investigation- Personal Safety for Women: 
https://www.kansas.gov/kbi/PDF/brochures/Personal%20Safety%20for%20Women%20Brochure.pdf