Right here Are the Methods Hackers Plan to Take Benefit of Amazon Prime Day. What to Do to Keep Secure

Next week is going to be a busy week. On Tuesday, Amazon starts its two-day shopping event called Prime Day. At the same time, retailers like Target and BestBuy are holding their own online shopping events. If you want to start your vacation shopping a little earlier than you have in the past, there are many ways you can get some deals.

Of course, the hackers are also preparing. In fact, more than ever, they are trying to ruin your vacation shopping with more sophisticated schemes to steal your information.

This is based on research by Check Point Research, a security company that has seen fraudulent domains related to Amazon increase by 21 percent in the past 30 days. That means hackers register domains that look like they are related to Amazon or Prime Day, but instead point to the hacker’s website. You can see why there might be a problem when people are racing for the best deals and they are more likely to click links they probably shouldn’t.

Fortunately, there are a few things you can do. Check Point also offers some suggestions in a blog post published today, and there are some decent ways to be sure.

Pay attention

When you shop online you make sure that you are really in the right place. Especially if you clicked a link because it might look similar, but the URL is not correct. With hackers registering domains associated with Amazon, it’s easy to overlook the fact that you’re not on the e-commerce giant’s website, but on one that is supposed to separate you from your personal information.

stay safe

Make sure all the websites you buy online are encrypted with SSL. This means that the URL starts with “https” and shows the small lock symbol. These two indicators mean the website is what it says it is and that your information is kept safe between your computer and the payment processor.

Don’t stand out too good to be true

The Amazon Prime Day deals are good, but if you get an email promising something that looks too good to be true, it likely is. Even if the link looks like it might be legitimate, it’s really worth finding out that it was a scam and now you have to cancel your credit card for typing it on a shady website that has a brand new iPhone is offered at half price?

Do not give out any additional information

Most of the websites that you shop at allow you to save your payment information. For example, if you’re a Prime member, Amazon has already saved your credit card. If you’re on a website that appears to be Amazon but is asking you to update or enter your credit card number, it should be a big red flag.

Also, as Check Point reminds us, never enter your bank account information to pay for online purchases. With at least a credit card, if you give the information to the wrong person, you can dispute the fee. However, if they have access to your checking account, they can do a lot more permanent damage.

The opinions expressed by Inc.com columnists here are their own, not those of Inc.com.