Don’t be a scammed Santa this year!
We’ve been a broken record about Black Friday and Cyber Monday special scams for a reason! Hopefully you have taken our tips to heart and felt prepared to safely online shop this holiday season.
Let’s take a look at some of the other top holiday scams, from our trusted partner in security awareness, KnowBe4.
Charity Tricksters – we warned about this on social media for Giving Tuesday, as the holiday season and end-of-the-year can generally be a time about giving back to the community. Many are highly motivated to give during December, both for charitable and tax purposes – those looking to commit cybercrime know this and ride the waves of the seasons! They will adjust their tactics to target those that are impulsive with their spending (and their clicking!). It’s human nature, sometimes our fingers click faster than our brains process the potential for risk. When preparing to spend this holiday season, mentally consider where you’d like to donate ahead of time and plan to visit the site directly, rather than accepting links sent via email as “reminders” that might not be the actual organization (or social media links that may not be a real organization at all!).
Complimentary Vouchers or Gift Cards – That muscle memory? Joanne the Scammer and her kin are hoping you’re going to click on that link to get the free offer that comes with your purchase. Circle back to the website and official social media pages for the retailer before clicking on an email that promotes an “exclusive offer” for a gift card or voucher, contingent on using that link to check out. Big red flag!
Fake Mobile Apps – Beware offers that are exclusive to a purchase that must be made through an app, especially when you don’t already have that app on your phone and are asked to install a new one. Double check the reviews, search the retailer’s official website to find their linked social media pages (and don’t forget to review the legitimacy of their site while you’re there!), and be careful!
Bogus Shipping Notices – In a flurry of holiday gift shopping, scammers know a flood of shipping emails will hit millions of inboxes over these next few weeks. It’s easy for one of theirs to slip into an over-crowded inbox. Use safe practices learned during security awareness training.
Ready to learn more? KnowBe4 released a 10 minute video last year that focuses on what you should know about holiday scams, available here until the end of the year!
