Valentine's Day celebrates connections. But when it comes to connecting online, spreading the love can quickly turn into spreading your personal information to cyber thieves.

People can be vulnerable around Valentine's Day. Some rush to send flowers or candy, or are more likely to open mysterious “you have an admirer!” emails. Others increase their connection on social media, and may be less focused on security.

Although businesses and individuals routinely take steps to protect sensitive data, this is a good time to remind employees about personal and business cyber security. “The days surrounding Valentine's Day are some of the busiest days of the year for cyber criminals,” said Lori S. Nugent, partner at Wilson Elser. “Don't be a victim.”

Here are seven things to look out for on your way to love:

1. Never click on suspicious links. While it may seem obvious, it's still easy to get scammed if you think you're getting a message from a friend or “secret admirer.” And while everybody knows about “phishing,” the increased use of mobile devices has made “SMShing”—phishing through text messages–an increasing threat, said Robert Siciliano, CEO, IDTheftSecurity.com and online security expert for McAfee. Make sure you have antivirus and antispyware in your firewall and on your portable device, including a link scanner, especially if you're clicking on QR codes.

2. Beware of social media. That funny Valentine's Day cartoon everyone is sharing could be a honey pot designed by cyber criminals to capture identities and spread malware, Nugent said. Sites like Facebook and LinkedIn are regularly compromised and you could be getting direct communication that looks legit but could be rogue. That connection request from someone you don't remember could be a cyber criminal. If you don't know the person who wants to connect, don't.

3. “Gray” is the new fraud. When it comes to credit card fraud, so-called “gray charges”—sneaked onto credit cards after a legitimate online transaction—are eclipsing straight-up fraud, Siciliano said. Gray charges are technically legitimate and happen when online buyers inadvertently click on links and end up with unwanted subscriptions, memberships or other charges—which can accrue month after month.

4. Watch your web searches. When you're using search engines to look for flowers, restaurants or fancy lingerie, generally the first page of search results are legitimate, Siciliano said. But scammers are getting better at “black-hat” SEO tactics—unethical methods to get higher search engine rankings. Stick with online vendors you're familiar with.

5. Rethink the nudie shots. You don't have to be a celebrity to be publicly humiliated over naked photos. McAfee's recent “Love, Relationships and Technology” survey shows that 36 percent of Americans plan to send “sexy or romantic” photos to their partners on Valentine's Day, either via email, text or social media. But while 94 percent of Americans believe their revealing photos are safe with their partners, 1 in 10 ex-partners have threated to leak risqué photos of their exes online—and those threats were carried out nearly 60 percent of the time.

6. Reiterate the rules. Employers should remind employees about privacy and security, including company policies about online purchases and social media interaction, Nugent said. Increased cyber criminal activity surrounding Valentine's Day presents a good teaching opportunity.

7. Beware of BYOD. If employees are permitted to use their own devices (and even if they aren't), a few rules for a safer Valentine's Day can make a meaningful difference, Nugent said:

Look for the secure web sites identified with https and don't provide credit card information on a web page that only shows http.
Carefully check the web page address. Many cyber criminals use a web page with an address only slightly different from the legitimate address.
After making an online purchase, clear your cookies.
Be wary of scanning codes on your smartphone. Codes take you directly wherever they've been programmed to take you. You could wind up at a very bad address instead of at the place you intended to go.

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Seven Tips for a Cyber-Safer Valentine&rsquo;s Day

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