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Tech Report: Shopping Safely Online During Holiday Season

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) – Cyber Monday appears to be a huge success for online retailers as it could mark the biggest online shopping day ever.

But with the online frenzy, consumers also have to protect themselves from any possible online fraud.

KCBS Technology Analyst Larry Magid:

Among the helpful shopping tips:

It's best to only shop on reputable sites. No matter what type of bargain shoppers might be getting, lots of times, that bargain might be too good to be true. It's better to pay a bit more when you know the website you're dealing with is one that is safe and secure.

Consumers should make sure they have good security software on their computer while also avoiding keylogger programs, which can get between a user and the Internet and record keystrokes and passwords.

Shoppers have to make sure they are using a secure site. And they should always look to make sure and know all the details in terms of return policy, shipping time and cost and generally understand the entire package.

Online shoppers should also always log out whenever they're leaving a website and try to pay by credit card if at all possible to protect against possible fraud.

You can hear Larry Magid's Tech Report Monday through Friday at 3:50pm on KCBS All News 740AM and 106.9FM.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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