Back-to-school shopping: Avoid fraud
Updated July 23, 2024 | Published July 25, 2022
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Categories:
- Security & Fraud Prevention
- Spending & Shopping
The 2024 back-to-school shopping season has arrived and shoppers are looking to take advantage of sales wherever they can. Recent data shows the expected household back-to-school spend is around $875 dollars this year.
The National Retail Federation reports that in 2023, 53% of back-to-school items and 50% of back-to-college items were purchased with a debit card. Read on to learn how to keep your debit card information safe while bargain hunting.
Tips to avoid fraud when back-to-school shopping online
Fraudsters will use our desire of lower prices to bait and trap unsuspecting consumers. There are a few things you should watch out for when browsing deals.
- Avoid browsing on public wi-fi: This can make it easy for a hacker to see and steal information.
- Beware of deals that are “too good to be true”: So you found an amazing deal and splurged on it right away. Your card was charged, but now it seems the store you bought from no longer exists…
- Shop stores that are known and trusted: Any store site that doesn’t have “https://” at the beginning of the url when you are checking out is a red flag. (The S stands for Secure!)
- Never give too much info: Why does that site you’re buying a graphing calculator from need your social security number?
- Beware of links: Your Facebook page showed you an ad for the exact thing you were looking for, and it’s on sale! But after you click on it, your computer screen turns into something that looks like it came out of The Matrix…”Phishing” or bating people to click unfamiliar links is the number one cybercrime.
Brush up on your knowledge. Learn how to spot common scams.
Webster First has your back
Whether you are back-to-school shopping in-store or online, you may find yourself using your debit card quite a bit. Rest assured that when you use your Webster First Debit Mastercard®, you are protected and in control.
Get fraud alerts right to your phone
All of our debit cards come with complimentary fraud monitoring through our Card Alert Notification Program. If potentially fraudulent transactions are detected, we’ll contact you immediately.
Stay in control with the Card Suite Lite App
You can download our Card Suite Lite app for even more control over your card. The app allows you to:
- Turn your card on and off.
- Set limits on debit card use based on spend amount, location, merchant type, or transaction type.
- Set alerts based on location, transaction type, or amount spent. Any charges not made by you will not go unnoticed.
Backed by Mastercard®
The Webster First debit card is backed by Mastercard, which means you will not be held responsible for unauthorized transactions. Zero Liability† applies to purchases made in store, over the phone, online, via a mobile device, and ATM transactions. Cardholders can also enroll in Mastercard’s ID Theft Protection™ program for no additional charge. So when you are back-to-school shopping, there’s no need to stress. Webster First and Mastercard have your back.