First, we wanted to take a second to with you all a very happy holiday and thank you for another wonderful year in business!

Secondly, once the gifts are all unwrapped and gift cards are piled up, we figured there might be some online shopping being done. Here’s a couple of random tips to protect yourself if you find yourself doing some online shopping with those gift cards you’re hoping to receive!

Shop at Sites you Trust: This is one of the most popular times of year to pop up with fake website with incredible deals. What easier way to get someone to click your link? This is one reason we suggest you stick to sites you’ve heard of before today

Avoid Public Wi-Fi: You might be tempted to visit your local Starbucks or Dunks, and I might too. But let’s all be cautious and avoid these places for our holiday shopping Wi-Fi. The cyber criminals have been waiting all year for this day. Let them keep waiting. We’ll do our shopping at home on our own secure internet line.

Website Security: That small lock icon in the corner of your URL bar tells you that the web page you’re on has privacy protection installed. The URL will start with “https.” These websites mask any data you share, typically on pages that ask for passwords or financial information. If you don’t see that lock or the “s” after “http,” then the webpage isn’t secure. With no privacy protection comes no customers. Stay away from these sites.

Now that we got that out of the way, we hope you have yourself a great holiday season and a very Merry Christmas!