‘Tis the season to shop and not be scammed while shopping for holiday deals online! Cybersecurity experts estimate that 60% of Americans will be clicking add to cart this year and sophisticated scammers are ready to take advantage and steal your information. Here are 4 scams to look out as you shop the Black Friday/Cyber Monday deals:
- Scam Ads on Social Media: Social media platforms become hotbeds for fraudulent ads during a shopping event like Black Friday. Don’t be fooled; if you take the bait, the ad will lead you to scam websites that impersonate the genuine brand website.
- Spoofed Brand Websites: Spoofed websites are a common trap during the Black Friday frenzy. Such copycat websites often mimic popular brands and can appear almost identical to the original. They often offer deals that are too good to be true, and they are! You likely won’t receive your order but you will lose your money, along with personal and financial information. Once scammers have your details, they can potentially sell them to cybercriminals on the dark web or use them for further fraudulent activities.
- Gift Card Scams: Scammers use gift cards to steal your information during the Black Friday shopping period. Imposing trusted brands, scammers will email you, tell you you’ve won a gift card, and then harvest your personal information to sell on the dark web.
- Delivery Scams: Waiting for packages to be delivered is one of the best parts of online shopping. That’s why scammers create fake delivery notifications to exploit your excitement to receive your packages! These texts and emails claim to be from customs, USPS, or another delivery service. They state a problem with your order to get you to click on the link provided to receive your package. These links are used to steal your personal information.
Stay safe!
Stay #CyberFlexed!
