As Christmas draws near, shoppers across the nation are preparing for in-person and remote post-Thanksgiving shopping hysteria through Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Since 2008, seven people have died and nearly 100 have been hospitalized during the bargain-hunting frenzy of Black Friday. But while Black Friday may be dangerous, Cyber Monday exposes a larger number of shoppers to danger.

This upcoming Cyber Monday will be the 10th anniversary of its official creation and it shows no sign of ending anytime soon. As more and more people avoid the in-person shopping chaos of Black Friday, they turn to the convenience and ease of online shopping. To no surprise, 2014 was the biggest Cyber Monday yet as orders witnessed a 15 percent jump from 2013 and sales saw a noticeable 8.5 percent rise as well. 2014’s Cyber Monday was the first time the “digital holiday” saw $2 billion in sales. The growth of Cyber Monday parallels trends seen in overall online shopping.

University of Wisconsin senior Brian Duffy explains the shift to online shopping is due to “greater convenience and less hassle because it’s easier and quicker to find exactly what I want.” 

But this ease and convenience of online shopping is putting people at serious risk.

As online shopping grows, so does the pool of personal information such as credit card and social security numbers. Cyber-crime has seen drastic growth as more people reveal personal information on the Internet, and estimates say that there are more than 556 million victims of cyber-crime annually. This means that there are 18 victims of cyber-crime every second of every day. Cyber-crime ranges in severity, but nobody is safe from its reach.

Just two years ago, Target Corporation — the third largest U.S. retailer — was hit by a severe cyber theft that compromised about 40 million credit card records and 70 million other records containing consumer data. To no surprise, the 19-day cyber assault on Target consumer records began in late November during the peak holiday shopping season. The same year, department store Neiman Marcus also revealed that its customer database had fallen victim to cyber hackers.

With Cyber Monday on the horizon, it is important to be cautious with personal information and take preventative steps to avoid cyber theft and online scams. StaySafeOnline.org outlines some important measures for maintaining cyber security: 

• “Keep a clean machine”: It is important for users to check all their Internet capable devices for malware and viruses before shopping, as they could compromise personal information.
• “Get savvy about Wi-Fi hotspots”: Limit the type of business conducted on open public Wi-Fi connections. When you are on public Wi-Fi, your accounts are more at risk because you are sharing a network with strangers.
• “Fill out only what’s required”: When ordering things online you will often be asked a variety of questions about who you are. To maintain personal security, only fill out what is absolutely necessary. Filling out more than what the vendor needs to complete the transaction could increase your risk of being a target of cyber theft.

As you’re making your shopping list and checking it twice, make sure to not think twice about taking appropriate precautions when it comes to online shopping.  

Ryan Smith ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in strategic communications.