Staying home and doing the holiday shopping to avoid crowds might seem like a good idea, and safer, but there are still risks involved.

“We’re not necessarily safer shopping in our home,” said Bob Weitzel. “We are very exposed online.”

Many shoppers have opted to avoid the Black Friday or holiday shopping crowds in general by taking part in what is called Cyber Monday, the first Monday after Thanksgiving. It is generally a time when deals can be found online.

However, Weitzel said cyber criminals are also more active on this day, since they know there will be a lot of activity involving credit or bank cards.

“Look for sites that are encrypted for security purposes,” Weitzel said. “If you’re not familiar with the site, I wouldn’t risk using it.”

He strongly stressed the need to make sure software and browsers are up to date, especially since many of these updates include security patches for known problems.

“Your malware and virus software needs to be up to date, also,” Weitzel said.

A truly dedicated hacker may still find away around all the security systems, so the chief offered several suggestions to avoid giving them total access to credit or bank card accounts.

“It’s smart to use a prepay card online whenever possible, especially if you’re using a website for the first time and are not sure about their security,” Weitzel said. “There’s a limited amount of money that can be gleaned that way.”

Both traditional and cyber shoppers are urged to limit credit card use to only one or two to limit the chance of being the victim of identity theft.

“Take the time after all the shopping is done to check credit reports, and do it a couple of times,” Weitzel said, adding this will alert consumers if any invalid purchases have been made with their card.

“There will usually be a couple of quick ones right away,” he said.