DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) - You can almost hear the bells ringing, and see pop-up Christmas advertisements on your devices.

The holiday season is here, and so are cyber criminals.

"It can be anything from your search history that's saved. It can be your online shopping accounts, or swiping at a retailer, or going to the ATM" says Cayla Hittmeier, the Chief Marketing Officer at Land of Lincoln Credit Union. 

She shares, it can happen to anyone at any time.

If you're traveling to visit family and log into a public WiFi, you risk your digital footprint being exposed. 

"As you're typing they can see keystrokes. If you're entering a password or credit card information, they can pull that from a public Wi-Fi network."

Cayla also warns consumers of pop up ads. One click can lead to a fake retailer. She encourages double-checking legitimacy during Christmas shopping, and hopping on Black Friday Deals.

"Go to the store's website, look and see if it's legit. Click on 'About Us', see if it's actually a store."

As technology makes shopping more convenient, it's easy to fall into traps without realizing. During the holidays, remain cautious of where you enter your credit card information, and who receives your email address.  

For more information on how you can protect your digital footprint, click here.

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