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According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), American consumers are expected to spend an average of $967 during the 2017 holiday shopping season. This is an approximate 3.5 percent increase from last year’s projections, and a majority of these purchases are expected to take place online. The NRF Consumer Survey found that online shopping is the preferred method of purchase this year for the first time in the survey’s history. Last year, Adobe reported that approximately $5.27 billion was spent in online sales between Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday, with $1.2 billion spent in purchases made through the use of mobile devices.

As the popularity of online shopping continues to increase, so does the number of potential unsuspecting victims for cyber criminals to exploit. This week, one of our cyber threat analysts at the New Jersey Cybersecurity Communications and Integration Cell (NJCCIC) discusses proactive steps to reduce your risk and make it harder for cyber criminals to succeed this holiday season.