Residents should be on lookout for holiday online shopping scams, say Sycamore police

SYCAMORE - As the holiday shopping season gets underway, Sycamore police are warning residents to be vigilant and watch out for online shopping scams.

According to a news release, police are offering several tips on how to know what’s a legitimate online purchase or not.

Shoppers should make sure the website they’re using is legitimate, since some might look like actual online merchants but are fraudulent. Secure websites will begin with https:// instead of http://.

If something doesn’t seem right with a website or the process to receive a purchase, shoppers are encouraged to consider if it would be safer to delay buying the item until you can verify the security of a purchase.

Purchases via credit card or a pre-paid credit card are recommended instead of a debit card, police said. If a debit card is compromised, that could lead others to compromise a bank account or commit theft. Most credit card companies limit loss in cases of fraud if they are promptly reported, according to the release.

Police recommend online shoppers do not use public Wi-Fi in locations such as restaurants, libraries or shopping malls since that creates risks for shoppers using financial information on unprotected servers.

Shoppers are also urged not to store card information saved with online retail companies. While the process is often used for efficiency during an online purchase, a data breach of the online company’s saved information for users could also compromise personal information.

For shoppers getting delivery, residents are encouraged to ensure the address is a secure location, according to the release. If a package is delivered to a residence where no one is home, it could invite theft, police said. To combat that, people should consider having a package shipped to their work or that someone is home when the package arrives.

Some shipping companies offer tracking and text message notifications with package deliveries.

If anyone sees a car or person loitering near a home during package delivery times when no one is home, they’re encouraged to call police and include a description of the person and vehicle with a license plate number.