But be wary of online shopping traps.
Vicki Lee Parker of the Raleigh News and Observer writes:
With the holiday shopping season well under way, many consumers have already received a barrage of e-mails advertising hefty discounts on popular gift items.
But behind some of those enticing offers lurk unwelcome headaches such as computer viruses, a private identity theft scam or malware that gives criminals remote access to your computers. Once the criminals get access to your computer, they can steal personal information, or use the computer to transmit spam, viruses and other attacks.
The problem is that this year the fake ads are more sophisticated and better resemble legitimate e-mails, said Keith Crosley, spokesman for Proofpoint, a messaging security company in Sunnyvale, Calif.
"They are not as easy to spot as before," he said. "We are seeing sites that are incredibly convincing. They look almost like the brand they are trying to spoof."
Consumers are going to have to be extremely cautious when shopping online, Crosley said.
Proofpoint offers these tips to help you safely shop online:
- Be suspicious. View any e-mail with requests for personal identifying information, personal financial information, user names or passwords with suspicion. Virtually no legitimate business today requests this type of information in an e-mail. Additionally, e-mail requesting they download a document off a Web site should be considered highly suspicious. This almost certainly is an attempt to trick consumers into downloading malware off a Web site.
- Don't click. If you receive a suspicious e-mail, don't click the links in the e-mail and never open file attachments from anything but 100 percent trusted sources. Links embedded in e-mails may take you to fraudulent sites that look similar or identical to the legitimate "spoofed" site. Malware is also not limited to just .exe files these days - it can be hidden in Word documents, PDF files, e-cards and more.
- Be secure. When you are shopping online, entering important information such as credit card numbers, or updating personal information, make sure you're using a secure Web site. A secure Web server Web address will begin with "https://" instead of the usual "http://". Most Web browsers also show an icon (such as Internet Explorer's "padlock" icon) to indicate that the page you are viewing is secure.
Hope these hints will help your online shopping experience be a happy, safe, money saving one.
Coupon Corner:
16oz. Premium Blend Coffee 77 cents Bojangles exp. 12/30/07
2 Sausage Biscuits $1.89 Bojangles exp. 12/30/07
2 Steak biscuits $2.79 Bojangles exp. 12/30/07
Cajun Fillet Biscuit Combo $3.99 Bojangles exp 12/30/07
Cajun Fillet Sandwich combo $4.29 Bojangles exp. 12/30/07
8 pcs. Chicken & 4 Biscuits $8.99 Bojangles exp. 12/30/07
Chicken Supreme Combo $4.29 Bojangles exp. 12/30/07
8 pc. Tailgate Special (8pcs chicken 4 biscuits 2 lg fixin's 1/2 gallon iced tea) $13.99 exp 12/30/07
$5.00 off any size Half Ham Honey Baked Ham exp. 12/31/07
$1.00 off any two Blistex Lip Medex , Blistex Medicated Lip Ointment or Blistex Meidcated Lip Balm exp. 3/1/08
Save $1.50 on any The Goodlife Recipe treats for cats or treats for dogs exp. 3/8/08
Save $4.00 on any Air Wick Freshmatic Mini Starter Kit exp. 1/20/08
Save $5.00 on any Air Wick Freshmatic Ultra Starter Kit exp. 1/20/08
Save $1.00 on Fujifilm Quicksnap One-Time-Use Camera (25 exp. or more) exp. 2/29/08
Save $.50 on 35mm Multi-Pack of Fujicolor film (72 exp. or more)
Save $1.00 on any Bengay product exp. 2/29/08
Save $.35 when you buy any French's Worchestershire Sauce exp.2/29/08
Save $1.00on any Woolite Carpet and Upholstery Cleaner exp. 3/31/08
And lots more but its getting late. So goodnight and Happy Saving!!!
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