While many consumers are familiar with shopping online, it’s still important to take some necessary precautions to protect your privacy, according to FindLaw.com, the Internet’s leading online source for legal information, and to ensure that what you buy arrives before Santa does.

Here are seven tips from FindLaw.com about shopping online this holiday season:

Shop Early and Save
The best way to avoid the holiday shopping rush, even online, is to shop early. This may sound crazy, but write up a holiday shopping list as early as possible – and start shopping right away – months before the holiday season begins. You’ll not only find more bargains (reducing your overall holiday expenses), but you’ll spread out your shopping so you won’t face a major credit card bill in early January. Plus, you’ll know that your holiday gifts will be there on time, which will allow you to avoid holiday stress.

Shop Reputable Online Retailers
Shopping online with major retailers such as Walmart, Sears, Target, Barnes & Noble and Amazon poses little risk. Organizations such as eBay, Yahoo Shopping and Bing Shopping make some effort to check out and rate merchants who do business through their sites. If you’re shopping with a lesser-known retailer, look for reviews and ratings on Google about the retailer before shopping.

Secure Site
When you place your order, make sure the site where you’re entering your credit card or PayPal information is secure. Here are a couple ways to tell: Look in the Web address bar. If there’s an “s” after “http” and a closed padlock icon to the right of the browser address, the site is secure.

Privacy Policy
Most consumers ignore or overlook a vendor’s privacy policy. A privacy policy states what the vendor will do to safeguard your credit card and personal information. If you don’t see a privacy policy on the vendor’s website, or you don’t like what it says, shop elsewhere.

Return Policies
Regardless of whether you’re shopping for a holiday gift online or from a catalog, make sure you understand the retailer’s return policy. Because you’re buying an item that you can’t see or touch, and because it’s being transported, the product you buy online may not meet your expectations. Make sure you know if and how an online retailer handles returns and exchanges.

Keep your Receipts
When you buy a product online, print out the receipt at the time you’re ordering the product. Save it and make sure to compare it to the receipt that comes with the product when it is delivered to your home or office to ensure that you received everything you ordered, and that you were correctly invoiced.

Coffee Shops and Airports
Many people like to head to their local coffee shop and peruse the Internet on the shop’s free Wi-Fi. What many may not realize is that person sitting next to you sipping a double latte may actually be a hacker attempting to capture your personal data. As tempting as it is, never shop while using a public Wi-Fi network at the coffee shop or in the airport, and never leave your computer unattended, even for a quick trip to the bathroom.

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Cyber criminals often target consumers who are least protected. Gary McAlum, chief security officer at USAA, a leading financial services provider that serves members of the military and their families, offers five simple tips that will help every consumer be less attractive to a cyber criminal and ultimately be better protected against cyber attacks.

1. Put up a strong fence
The “fundamental three” of computer security consists of a firewall, anti-malware software and automatic updates. Chances are you already have these installed on your machine. Modern computers and routers have firewalls built in, and you can download a reputable anti-malware program online, often for free. Cyber criminals are constantly advancing their techniques and their abilities, so updating your protection software is critical to keeping your wall strong. Do your research before downloading any programs from the Internet.  Some viruses are disguised as anti-malware programs.

2. Get complicated
Passwords are the first line of defense to protect your sensitive information from getting into the wrong hands. Whenever money is involved, toughen up. If a hacker gets your email password, what’s the next stop? Your bank. Take extra care with your financial account passwords. Do not use simple words or anything like your last name or a pet’s name. Incorporate numbers and special characters, and change passwords every six months.

3. Authenticate your devices
Companies are employing new tools to make their website more secure. In fact, a new breed of website security adds an extra layer of protection beyond usernames and passwords by registering your computer and/or smartphone’s unique thumbprint when you first login. Why? The website is more confident it’s you doing the driving instead of a cyber-thief. If the site detects a computer you don’t normally use, expect extra questions to prove your identity.

Want to get proactive? Check with your financial institution to see if they offer tools to help you protect yourself. USAA offers an additional protection mechanism, called CyberCode, in case your username, password, and PIN get into the wrong hands. Easily installed on any smart phone, this app sends members a new, randomly generated code right to their phone that they must use to access their accounts.

4. Be alert
Most credit card issuers allow you set parameters so your provider can send you a text message or email if a large charge hits your card. For example, USAA has a two-way, instant text system that will allow you to confirm any purchase while you’re at the checkout register – or if it’s not your purchase, you can deny it instantly. Also be sure to review your statements for abnormal activity.

5. Be suspicious
Most people get scammed by offering too much personal information. Cyber criminals may try to disguise themselves as trusted entities. Be wary, and don’t give away your password or credit card number if you’re contacted by anyone posing as your financial institution. Even if an email or a phone call appears to be legit, be suspicious. Remember, no legitimate financial institution will ask you to provide personal or financial information in response to an email. In fact, USAA has developed an email system called “Security Zone” that ensures each email is tagged with each member’s unique identification information, so people can have confidence that these emails are in fact from USAA.

Cyber crime is prevalent, and the perpetrators are constantly improving their techniques. By following these steps, you will be better equipped to help combat potential attacks. For more information about how to protect yourself from cyber crime, visit the Security and Privacy Center on www.usaa.com.

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