Christmas is nearly here and online shopping and gift-giving are at the top of many people's to-do lists. But before you hit the "buy" button, it's important to remember that this time of year is also the peak season for cybercriminals.
Actually many, cybercriminals often ramp up their efforts during the holidays, taking advantage of the influx of online shoppers and the general hustle and bustle of the season.
According to the FBI the two most prevalent scams are non-delivery and non-payment crimes. In a non-delivery scam, a buyer pays for goods or services they find online, but those items are never received. Alternatively, a non-payment scam involves goods or services being shipped – but the seller is never paid.
Below are the top cyber scams to watch out for this year, according to Norton.
Check it twice!
Clicking on links for fake orders
Hackers will mimic big retailers, sharing links indicating that there is something wrong with your order.
Donating to a non-existent charity
Double-check charitable organisations before making any donations.
Keep the Grinch at bay
Shopping on fake websites
Remain sceptical about incredibly low deals and suspicious-looking websites.
Gift cards for purchases
Cybercriminals pretending to be sellers frequently suggest gift cards as a form of payment. They may ask for an electronic version of the card and once they have this information, they'll use it to buy whatever they want with the gift card. Stick to credit card purchases.
Baby, it’s cold outside
Don’t use public Wi-Fi
Instead of using the Wi-Fi from public places, keep your company and yourself safe by sticking to password-protected services.
Stay on the “good” list
Follow the usual threat protection methods to keep yourself and your loved ones safe online.
This means using multifactor authentication, creating strong passwords, and ensuring that your antivirus software and DNS security service are up-to-date.
