As many are gearing up for the holidays, shopping season is in full-swing. With deals circulating through Black Friday and Cyber Monday, people are looking to get great deals on gifts for their loved ones. In fact, online shopping is at an all-time high this year. However, finding a good deal may be the least of online shoppers’ worries, for cyber gangs are at their peak.

According to PriceGrabber, 41% of shoppers plan to do some of their shopping on their computer, tablet, or smartphone this year—up 37% from last year. With more targets available online, cyber criminals have a prime opportunity. Roughly half of consumers browsing the Web do not have an up-to-date security patch, which puts them at an even greater risk. Antivirus firm Avast estimates that around 52,000 Web domains in America contain at least one infected page.

Knowing many people lack the proper security they need for their device, these online criminals can easily get information from people's accounts or even infect their computers. A growing trend in cyber scams is through social networking. Many devices are becoming infected through links that lead to so-called gift cards, coupons, or charity donations on sites like Facebook. More scams have been found on mobile devices and imbedded YouTube videos as well.

With many risks on the Web, consumers need to take every precaution they can. For example, it is not advised to give debit or credit card information on a site that is questionable in its security. No matter how valuable they say the deal is, with possession of card information, certain cyber gangs can access your personal bank accounts and leave you in severe financial pain. Also, it is advised to research sites or deals before you confirm a purchase. All-in-all, consumers can protect their device and accounts by thinking before they click.