Community Link: Cybersecurity ahead of the holiday season INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Each week on Community Link, Carolene Mays takes a look at an organization or business that is making a positive impact on the community. This week, Mays was joined by James Watson, current partner at Ice Miller Law and former FBI supervisory special agent of cyber crime. Watson talked about staying safe online ahead of the holiday season. Cyber threats increase with online holiday shopping. More of our lives is spent online, and that means cyber crime has a huge impact on the economy. “We know the financial impact last year alone: cyber crime resulted in $12.5 billion to the U.S. economy,” Watson said. The price tag isn’t the only thing affecting victims of cyber crime, there’s a loss to business operations and personal lives. “There’s a psychological impact to being a victim of cyber crime,” he said. To stay safe, Watson recommended to first keep a close eye on children’s online activity. “[Our kids] have access to a lot of personal and critical information themselves, and cyber security sometimes takes a back seat to speed and access to that data.” Watson said. It’s best to watch out for specific scams that occur more frequently during the holidays. “For example, gift card cams, we all love to receive and give gift cards at the holidays. Make sure that you’re going to get those gift cards from a legitimate vendor,” Watson said. It’s not just gift cards, but with any online shopping that you should check the vendor. Watson said you should check the URL to make sure you’re with a legitimate online vendor or charity. If you do think you’re compromised, don’t panic, Watson said. “Call your credit card, your banks, your investment, your retirement accounts so they can take whatever security measures that they need to do to secure your accounts. From a clean device, you want to access your email, your social media accounts to make sure they’re not compromised.”