Avoid Cyber Monday scams with this one simple rule

If you fought crowds on Black Friday or even camped out on Thanksgiving to get a deal, chances are you're still probably going to buy a gift online this year.

Which is why it's important to focus on cyber safety on Cyber Monday - and beyond.

The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center, or IC3, has provided numerous tips on how to avoid cyber fraud. The overriding message is: "If the deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is."

There are plenty of tips provided by law enforcement and the FBI, but some of the most important, in my opinion are: Log on directly to the official site of a website identified in an email instead of "linking" to it from an unsolicited email; verify any request for personal information from any business or bank by contacting them using the main contact information on their official website; and always compare the link in the email to the link you are directed to and see if they actually match and take you to a legitimate website.

Former President Ronald Reagan once said, "Trust, but verify."

For cyber safety, don't trust and always verify.

Spin on 'Giving Tuesday'

Now that we're done with Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday, let's turn our attention to Giving Tuesday - a day in which people are encouraged to donate to a charity.

An Elgin-based nonprofit group that provides free legal services for low-income people is putting its own spin in Giving Tuesday.

Administer Justice is asking people to take a "selfie" photo with a sign or caption explaining how or why they are donating to Administer Justice and to share to share photos on social media sites using hashtags: #UNselfie, #GivingTuesday, #Donate and #AdministerJustice.

Congrats to Aurora police

The International Association of Chiefs of Police and Cisco Systems recently presented a Community Policing Award to the Aurora Police Department, based in part on a dramatic drop in shootings and murders over an 18-year period.

The department was one of 10 departments that received the award, which is now in its 17th year.

From 1996 to 2013, murders decreased 82 percent in Aurora and shootings dropped 64 percent.

Aurora leaders emphasized the importance of residents and community members working with police.

"Our Aurora police officers are the cornerstone of violence reduction efforts, but they cannot go at it alone," Mayor Tom Weisner said. "Community safety is everyone's responsibility and this award illustrates the great things that happen when the police and the citizens they serve work together."

hhitzeman@dailyherald.com