We know you love Christmas, but there are a lot of grinches online who want to spoil it for you. During the winter holidays, most people have to cope with internet shopping, present hunting, charitable activities, and so on. As a result, everyone is exposed to scammers over the winter vacations, particularly Christmas scams. This comprehensive guide will teach you what they are and how to avoid them.
In many countries throughout the world, Christmas is traditionally a high selling season for shops. People buy presents, decorations, and materials to celebrate, which boosts sales substantially. In the United States, when shopping for the right present online, there are so many alternatives that you don't know where to start. Are they, however, genuine? To gain our online banking passwords and access to our sensitive data, internet fraudsters and cybercriminals create bogus adverts and host websites that they manage. Look for the following signs to avoid being a victim of Grinch Scammers:
1. What to Look for and How to Avoid?
If it looks like the price listed is too good to be true? Look up the item's pricing on other websites to see where it should be.
Any odd payment method for an online transaction, such as a money order or wire transfer, should be avoided.
Look for details that might suggest you're on a hacker-controlled website if you opt to pay using the website's payment system. Scammers may send you to a phony payment site, so make sure the URL of the website contains HTTPS and that the name is typed correctly.
When making purchases through social media marketing, use caution. Cyber criminals commonly utilize promotions to phish for credit card data or install malware on your computer or phone.
Tip #1:
Double-check the URLs of the buying sites you visit. There is a flood of fake websites for large shops, especially at this time of year.
2. How to Avoid Gift Card Scams?
Holiday gift cards are frequently advertised on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, with claims of unique or hidden offers. The issue arises when the gift card is false and is used as a pretext to get the victim's personal information or credit card number. To prevent being duped into purchasing a phony gift card, make sure you:
Even if the "great deal" comes from a buddy, don't open suspicious links on social networking sites.
Filling out online questionnaires that request personal information is not a good idea.
When buying tiny animals, mobile gadgets, autos, or motorcycles, pay extra caution because they are some of the most commonly utilized scamming products.
They're all frauds, so don't use Amazon gift card generation programs, websites, or apps.
Tip #2:
Never pay with Amazon gift cards if you're not shopping on Amazon.
3. How to secure yourself from catfishing and other romantic tricks?
In the well-known practice of catfishing, internet criminals create bogus accounts on seemingly legal websites, employ Tinder, Viber, or Kik bots in phishing efforts, and even install malware onto your computer or smartphone.
To protect yourself and avoid a love disappointment:
- Never trust anybody you meet online, especially if they ask for money or your credit card number.
- Be vigilant about exposing personal details when using social media or dating sites. Even if the other individual gives you comparable information, you won't be able to check its accuracy.
Tip #3:
The most effective strategy to disrupt spammers is to get the information out there. Put everything out there so that others can be alerted.
4. How to Avoid Scams in Game Giveaways and Lotteries?
People will always want to win something, therefore the lottery fraud will never fully go away. A lottery scam begins with a communication to the victim informing them that they have won a stupidly big sum of money or perks. All the victim has to do is "simply" pay the processing costs or fill out some paperwork. To avoid being a victim of this internet scam, follow these steps:
Such an email or offer should not be trusted. Before you go, do some research.
Do not even read such an email, much less click any of the links inside it.
In a giveaway, do not fill out forms.
A similar lottery fraud, which is far more difficult to detect, is aimed at players all across the world. Because many gaming businesses or influencers hold giveaways providing free games, this winter holiday scam is even more difficult to identify. Source In general, when it comes to game freebies, keep the following in mind:
- Do not click on links given via private messages in gaming clients (League of Legends, Steam, Battlenet, and so on) or on streaming sites such as Twitch.
- Don't sign up for quizzes that offer a free game to the winner.
- Don't enter contests that need more than a basic Reddit or forum remark.
- Check the official website of the alleged giveaway supplier to see if the contest is mentioned. If League of Legends hasn't published a giveaway, for example, there isn't one.
Tip #4:
The most important piece of advice we can give is to pick a safe password that you won't use on any other websites - and certainly not your email account password.
5. How Can Companies Avoid Them?
Companies must also guard against the negative repercussions of online winter holiday / Christmas frauds, the most common of which is phishing.
How can you avoid getting scammed?
- Don't click on every link that comes your way, and be wary about exposing personal information.
- Hover over a link before clicking it.
- Emails containing grammatical or spelling errors should be avoided.
- Use KYC verification for customer identity verification
- Even the slightest difference might signal that you're ready to fall prey to a scam.
- check the contact details of unfamiliar websites you want to use and search for reviews before sharing personal information on social networking platforms.
Wrapping Up A Grinch Free Christmas
Winter holiday scams may cause a slew of problems that can be prevented by planning ahead and paying attention to the details. Keep the suggestions in this guide in mind, and remember that Security is always on your side, and our staff is here to assist you to safeguard your home and business, as well as to foster a cybersecurity culture for the benefit of everyone interested in learning more about it.