Cyber Monday ID Safety Tips - Beckley, Bluefield & Lewisburg News, Weather, Sports

     Bye-bye Black Friday - - so-long small business Saturday - - now it is the web's turn in the spotlight.  It's CYBER MONDAY! According to research firm com-Score, Americans are expected to spend 1-point-5 billion! That's up 20 percent from last year on Cyber Monday.

     With plenty of folks in the Mountain State logging on - - we wanted to know - - can you keep your banking information safe?

Many folks are enjoying the convenience of modern technology !With one click, you are now the proud owner of an $800 life-sized Homer Simpson!   Sure, it's shopping made easy. But in the age of technology, WHAT IF that's not YOU making this extravagant purchase.

            One shopper our crews caught up with said she does not plan on shopping online.  Savannah Davis from Prosperity said it's just not worth the hassle.  She said numerous times her packages come later, the item is incorrect and of course, identity theft!

     "It is very scary because at this time of the year you really need that money," Davis said.  For Davis it's clear, online shopping is not worth the risking identity theft. 

     Hackers can drain your bank accounts or charge INSANE amounts to your credit card. While Davis is staying away from online shopping, Elizabeth Hanshew a busy mother of 4-- said the convenience of a simple click is worth the risk.

     "It is just so much easier if I can just shop at of my own home and you can ship it straight to family members if you aren't going to see them it goes right to their house," Elizabeth Hanshew of Beckley said.

     The people our crews spoke with said if they are going to shop online stick to sites with big name recognition to protect their identity. And the experts agree.

     They said if you MUST buy online, buy from a trusted seller and share some other smart tips for online shoppers.

     "I would recommend knowing the business you are buying from. I would not give out any personal information like birthday or social security information or bank account of anything like that," Detective B.D Stump of the Raleigh County Sheriff's Office said.

     Stump said he had his own encounter with a Grinch who stole his identity and he gives a word of warning to those logging on.

     "It could ruin their Christmas for the next several years with identity theft it could really cripple them finically into the future and take a longtime to get figured out," Det. Stump continued.