It’s coming up to Christmas. We’re all too aware of what that means: spending money and spending a lot of it online. Unfortunately for us, it isn’t just the mark of the Christmas season. It’s also the mark of the scammer season for cyber criminals.
The two busiest shopping days are fast approaching. The 28th November (Black Friday), and 1st December (Cyber Monday). These two days will see millions of dollars poured into consumerism, online and at retailers, making it a massive target for data breaches. Last year alone, saw millions of Credit and Debit cards stolen, and along with them, personal information.
But not all is lost in the spirit of Christmas. You can protect yourselves by being aware of some of the scams going around online.
1. Copycat Websites/Fake Websites. These are all too common throughout the year, but as the retail industry is set for the chaos of Christmas, these websites can pop up everywhere to promise you the best deals one can find. Be sure to double check the links, the addresses and logos for anything amiss. It may be as little as one single letter missing from a name we recognize everywhere and never think twice about. For example, amazan.com rather than amazon.com.
2. Phishing Websites. These are seen in the form of email messages which are fraudulent. Always abide by the rule “if in doubt, don’t”, and never, never give any personal information away online unless you are 110 percent certain that it is trustworthy, ie. Something you have used in the past. Saying this, those portraying trustworthy sites have become incredibly sophisticated over the years.
3. Fake Advertisements and Coupons. If the source is unknown or suspicious to you, chances are it’s too good to be true. This can be said for ads that purport the great deals of a lifetime. Keep your antivirus and malwares software up-to-date in case of an accidental click on the ‘click-bait’ links.
4. The Unexpected Gift. Would you accept an unexpected gift off a suspicious looking stranger in the subway? No. Then why accept the same gift online? These scams usually come in the form of some type of coupon reward where you are expected first to fill out information that inevitably gives away your personal details. A common ‘unwanted gift’ comes in the form of an attachment via your email.
5. Beware of package notices. When shipping out that special something to the special someone, or maybe it’s a gift for yourself, beware of the shipping policy which asks for your personal information to check your package. You know you can trust FedEx, but beware the link that sends you to another site. Enter the tracking number yourself.
Don’t let convenience get in the way of intelligence. Shop smart.
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I work in fraud prevention and the question I am always asked is HOW DID THIS HAPPEN sometimes it doesn’t matter how safe you are with your cards you just have to accept that its going to happen. Where there’s a will there’s a way.
And hate the fraudster not your credit card issuer! I get yelled at constantly by vicious people (usually women, cuz we are bitches) who get sick of having their accounts shut down and new cards issued- I don’t blame them, unfortunately there’s just not a 100% way to stay safe if you choose to use debit/credit.