Whether it’s for the tax deduction or the warm fuzzy feeling giving to others generates, most Americans plan to make a charitable donation over the holiday season. In fact, nearly 60 percent of Americans say they’ll donate between Thanksgiving and Christmas, according to a survey.
With so many worthy causes, it is difficult to know who to give to and when it comes to online donation you need to make sure it’s a safe option.
Since I don’t usually donate online here are some tips that I use when finding the perfect charity and how to do it safely.
Secure Internet Connection - What I don’t like about this girl above is that most likely she’s on a public wireless network. I hope she’s not donating to her favorite charity at that moment because anything that has to do with your credit card information should online be inputting at home. I also look for the https:// in the address bar. The ‘s’ stands for secure.
Double Check Those Emails – Ever got one of those emails with pleas of help? Yeah, me too. Just press DELETE. Some people will respond and try to convince you more that they need help but please don’t. Don’t respond, don’t believe them. It’s a scam!
National Cyber Security Awareness Month and National Crime Prevention Month
October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month and National Crime Prevention Month! If you follow LifeLock on Twitter and Facebook, they’ll be posting more on their social media outlets about cyber security and crime prevention.
LifeLock for Life Sweepstakes
The LifeLock for Life sweepstakes continues this month but now they will be focusing on donating safely online. Don’t forget to play every week for a chance to win great weekly and monthly prizes.
Have you ever fell victim to a charity scam, or had your personal information compromised? Do you have any tips of your own to share?
Disclosure: This is a partnered post as a LifeLock Ambassador. However all opinions are my own.
Last Day! 
I think that the less information you share online the better.
Great tips! It’s definitely important.
We have an iCal reminder set up to change our passwords every 90 days. And we dont share any info online.
Whoa that’s a lot of password changes.
I’ve had my credit card used before, but that’s it. I love having LifeLock on watch now!
I agree. No sharing info online, even if it’s someone you know. If they need it, they can call or text.
The less information you share, the better.
I definitely make sure to change my passwords on a regular basis. It is so important to be careful now that we do so many personal things online.
My tip is if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
that’s a great one Billie!
My Tips: Never Access Personal Info In Public Through The Web Or On A Phone! Always Be Alert!
I agree with Penelope. Even when I get a legitimate letter from a business, I never click through on the link and just go to their website directly.
same here Kelly. I’ve gotten emails from Paypal before saying my account was flagged or closed and told me to log in to correct the issues. When I went to the site directly and called them my account was perfectly fine.
My tips are, don’t share ANY information with anyone who asks…if they contact you, don’t share, they could be anyone pretending to be your bank or cc! If you contact them, you know who you are speaking to.
So true!