this story is part gift guidean annual collection of the best gift ideas.
As usual, black friday It arrives the day after Thanksgiving, specifically November 25th of this year.It will be a day full of bargain products such as headphones When tv setbut with all the potential money flowing from customers to stores, cybercriminals are unfortunately looking to steal some of it.
Scammers are active year-round, but during the high-spending holiday season, they try to capitalize on the spirit of giving.
As retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart roll out holiday sales, scammers create elaborate websites to trick you into spending money on products you never receive. So that the thief can get your credit card information, he may receive a text message or an email claiming that he is entitled to a refund for an item he never purchased. You might be tempted to donate to a charity that provides homes for abandoned puppies, but it turns out they don’t actually exist.
Scams come in all shapes and sizes, but there are always red flags to help you spot them. Here’s what you need to know about Black Friday scams and how to avoid becoming a victim this holiday season.
Learn more about security and privacy this holiday season by: Protect yourself from identity theftMethod Protect your phone app privacyand the Most Common Cryptocurrency Scams.
Fake Websites and Scam Apps Become “Phishing”
Phishing schemes aim to get hackers to obtain personal information such as credit card numbers, social security numbers, and account passwords. The scammer masquerades as a large retailer and sends her an official-looking email or text her message, usually with a link to her fake website masquerading as a legitimate site.
Researchers at security firm Avanan have discovered that hackers are sending spoofed Amazon order notification emails. The email is similar to a run-of-the-mill order confirmation, except the order is incorrect and the bill is large.
Naturally, if you believe you have been charged a significant amount, we encourage you to contact Amazon. However, in this case, contacting them using the link in the phishing email redirects them to a fake Amazon web page that dials a fake phone number. When you call, the scammer doesn’t answer the call at first, but calls back quickly, asking you to provide your card number, expiration date, and her CVV to “cancel the order.” And just like that, they got your information.
While these types of attacks are common throughout the year, expect a spike in messages claiming to be from Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, Target, or other large retailers during the holiday season.
If you receive an email asking you to update your payment method or request other personal information, contact your company’s help desk to verify that the email is legitimate before you do anything else. please.
According to the Federal Trade Commission and StaySafeOnline.org, other ways to identify phishing emails include:
- The sender’s email address is largely Correct but contains extra characters or spelling mistakes.
- There is a misspelling or bad grammar somewhere in the subject line or body.
- Address you by common terms (“Mr.”, “Ms.”, or “Dear Customer”) rather than by name.
- The message warns you that you need to take immediate action and asks you to click a link and enter your personal information, especially payment information.
- The message promises a refund, coupon, or other giveaway.
- The company logo in the email looks low quality or just wrong.
Credit card skimming is fully digital
You’ve seen it in movies. A hacker places an object over his reader that looks like it’s part of an ATM and waits for people to swipe their cards. A day or a week later, the thief will bring back an object called a skimmer to collect piles of stolen card information stored inside.
Instead of using physical hardware to steal payment card numbers, hackers can inject malicious code directly into websites to do the same thing as traditional skimming, but instead online payments. use the information.
Regarding electronic skimming incidents (sometimes called Magecart attacks after the name of the software used), Tim Mackey, chief security strategist at digital security firm Synopsis, warns: It may be possible to determine if or when a website has been compromised. The only potential symptom might be that the website itself doesn’t look “right”. ”
Mackey suggests several strategies you can use to protect yourself.
- Don’t store credit card information on retail sites.
- If possible, use third party payment methods such as apple pay, Google Wallet Also PayPal.
- Effectiveness Buy alerts with any credit card.
- Disable international purchases on all credit cards.
- Only purchase over your home or cellular network and never over public Wi-Fi where payments can be intercepted.
Avoid exchanging gifts for “secret sisters”.It’s a pyramid scheme
Originating from Facebook, this crude gift exchange between strangers on the Internet plays out a popular workplace practice of “Secret Santa.” It is a game where each person in the group buys a gift for one randomly selected member of another group, without revealing the identity of the giver. .
Instead, in Secret Sister, it’s a pyramid scheme with holiday clothes, according to the Better Business Bureau. is promised to receive the gift of Variations include exchanging bottles of wine. And there is even a “secret Santa dog” that gives money to “secret dogs”.
Unfortunately, poor math hasn’t stopped this scam from resurfacing year after year. If you fall in love with it, you’ll probably lose $10 if you don’t get a gift in return. Therefore, personal information may also be lost.
The Better Business Bureau recommends ignoring requests to become a secret sister. Do not give personal information to strangers online.you can also Report the invitation to Facebook Or the social network you were approached.
Your donation could be donated to a ‘fake charity’
Giving back to the community is not uncommon during the holiday season. In fact, nonprofits typically see an increase in the fall. The last three months of the year accounted for his 36% of total annual charitable giving, according to the Blackbaud Institute, which makes fundraising applications.
Unfortunately, scammers are using this generosity to create bundles for themselves.
A typical tactic of these charity scams is impersonating other successful charities. A scammer comes up with a lifelike charity name, creates a credible her website, runs a successful social media her campaign, and slogs.
Scammers usually use local phone numbers to make calls, giving a false sense of security.But it’s incredibly easy spoof area codeThen they’ll make their own pitch and it’s going to be a good one. They may also claim that you have made a donation before and even suggest making another one. And it all becomes a lie.
If you receive a call from a charity and feel the red flags, AARP and FTC suggest doing the following:
- do your research. Get detailed information about a charity and learn its credibility with a watchdog like CharityWatch. Or use Google.
- Pay close attention to the charity’s name and website. Fake charities like to imitate other popular charities. If the names seem too close, they may not be real.
- Track your donations. Even if you accidentally donate to a scammer, you should ensure that the donation is not repeated.
- Do not give out all personal information. Of course, giving out your card information is normal, but don’t do the same with your social security number or bank account number.
- Please do not make cash donations. Do not give cash, gift cards, or cryptocurrency unless you are sure of the charity’s authenticity.
For charitable donations, you can also use the IRS tax exempt organization search tool to verify that the charitable organization you are donating to is legitimate and that the donation is deductible on your income tax return.
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