In today’s economy, many shoppers are going online to make their purchases. Some consumers claim this is because of discounts and online clearance, but the general consensus is that online shopping is becoming more popular due to its ease of access.

Though shopping online seems like a good alternative, it can also be a gateway for dangerous fraud attempts and identity theft.

Students and parents getting ready for a new school year to begin are particularly vulnerable because hackers are aware of the high volume of online activity that occurs during August and November.

An online fraud prevention provider called ThreatMetrix aims to counter fraudulent activity by providing businesses with solutions to safeguard both their customers and their merchandise. As mentioned in a press release sent out by ThreatMetrix, the months involving back-to-school sales are host to billions of opportunities for fraud to occur.

“The back-to-school timeframe represents one of the largest shopping surges in the U.S. This year, consumers are expected to spend more than $68 billion on books, apparel, paper, pencils, backpacks and other school supplies, according to the National Retail Federation,” Dan Rampe said in the online article ”ThreatMetrix Alert — Five Channels of Online Fraud to Beware of Just in Time for Back-to-School.” “Of that, an increasing amount is likely to be spent with online