FORT WAYNE, Ind. (Indiana’s NewsCenter) – Thousands of shoppers woke up early to find deals at their favorite stores. But, what if you didn’t find what you were looking for? Shoppers can look forward to “Cyber Monday” deals.

Shop.org officials define “Cyber Monday” as the Monday following Thanksgiving that is “the ceremonial kickoff to the online shopping season.” They say the term was coined in 2005 when retailers noticed a trend of people shopping online.

So, if you decide to “point and click” your way to a good deal, the folks at Geek Squad say be careful.

“The biggest way to be safe and feel good about it is if you have a credit card it needs to back up identity theft,” said Geek Squad Manager and Best Buy Service Manager Brian Hedrick.

Geek Squad officials say before you shop, make sure you have virus protection on your computer, stick with stores you know, and check with your credit card company.

“So, that’s the one thing, and most cards have that, but you need to become familiar with the terms and conditions,” said Hedrick.

Indiana’s NewsCenter’s Web Producer Scott Sarvay says if a deal looks too good to be true, then it probably is. He says shoppers should look for a certain emblem at the bottom of the screen.

“Usually at the bottom of a Web page there’s going to be some sort of medallion that says, last virus checked or site security medallion,” said Sarvay. “So when you look for that stuff you should feel secure and safe that your information isn’t going to be given away.”

Shotp.org says more than half the people who have Internet at work will shop on Monday, and stores recognize that. Eholiday survey says over 83 % of retailers will have special promotions for Cyber Monday. That’s up from 72 % from last year.

If you’d like to take advantage of holiday shopping deals online Shop.org hosts CyberMonday.com that lists more than 500 merchants. You log on there and they will connect you to each store so you buy from the name brand store you trust.

Happy Shopping!