{"id":162439,"date":"2023-11-01T06:15:37","date_gmt":"2023-11-01T13:15:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/?p=162439"},"modified":"2023-12-08T20:24:09","modified_gmt":"2023-12-09T04:24:09","slug":"tis-the-season-for-holiday-scams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/internet-security\/tis-the-season-for-holiday-scams\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2019Tis the Season for Holiday Scams: 5 Common Schemes to Look Out For"},"content":{"rendered":"

This time of year, the air gets chillier and a bit cheerier for everyone \u2026 including online scammers. Holiday scams are a quick way to make a buck, and cybercriminals employ several holiday-themed schemes to weasel money and <\/span>personally identifiable information<\/span><\/a> (PII) from gift-givers and do-gooders. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Here are five common Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and holiday season shopping scams to watch out for this year, plus a few tips to help you <\/span>stay safe online<\/span><\/a>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

5 Common Types of Holiday Season Scams<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n
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    Fake charities<\/span><\/b><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    The holiday season often brings outpourings of generosity, and scammers kick their morals to the curb and use people\u2019s kindness to make a profit. <\/span>Social engineering<\/span><\/a> is a tactic where a bad actor plays on people\u2019s emotions to trick them into sharing personal or financial information. This holiday season, keep an eye out for strangers\u2019 funding pages or social media posts asking for donations.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Artificial intelligence (AI) <\/span>content generation tools like ChatGPT<\/span><\/a> and Bard are likely to make these scams more believable than those in years past. While AI doesn\u2019t understand human emotion, when given the right prompt, it can mimic it well. In one <\/span>\u201c60 Minutes\u201d<\/span><\/a> segment, Bard wrote a touching short story that made the presenter misty-eyed. Additionally, AI usually uses correct grammar and edits out typos, which used to be the hallmark of phishing attempts.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    There are undoubtedly authentic stories of real people and families in need around the holidays. Be wary of any social media post that makes you feel an extreme emotion, in this case, sadness. Phishers want people to act before they think through their decision.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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      Last-minute deals<\/span><\/b><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Are you a procrastinator? Watch out for last-minute shopping scams that are targeted at people who leave their gift buying until deep in December. As with anything else, if it\u2019s too good to be true, it probably is. Shopping scams often take the form of phishing emails where criminals impersonate a well-known merchant.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      While sales often have a quick timeline, don\u2019t let that short timeline pressure you into making an impulsive decision. Phishing emails, when you take the time to inspect them, are usually easy to spot. The logos are often blurry and the tone of the message will seem \u201coff.\u201d Either it will sound very formal and impersonal or it will sound very informal and seem pushy.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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        Phony order confirmations and tracking numbers<\/span><\/b><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        During the holiday shopping season, your doorstep can be crowded with packages. Do you remember what\u2019s in each one? Online criminals bank on the fact that you can\u2019t quite keep track of what you\u2019ve purchased.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

        Criminals try to lure people to download malware or divulge personal or account information with bogus order confirmation and delivery tracking number emails and texts. They\u2019ll impersonate popular online retailers or postal services and claim to have information about your order if you click on their link; however, that link will redirect to a malicious site or download a malicious payload to your device.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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          Fake account suspensions and unable-to-deliver notices<\/span><\/b><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          This holiday shopping scam also dials in on people who\u2019ve lost track of how many online orders they\u2019ve made and the various shopping accounts in their name. Again, phishers will impersonate popular merchants and send \u201curgent\u201d messages about suspending online accounts if payment isn\u2019t received immediately. Similarly, phishers may also impersonate delivery services claiming that they\u2019re (basically) holding your orders hostage until you pay up.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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            Gift card cracking<\/span><\/b><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

            Gift cards are a standby present for the people on your list who are difficult to buy for or for people you don\u2019t know too well but want to get them a small something. Whether the gift card is worth $5 or $500, an online scammer can steal the entire value through two techniques: a brute force attack or phishing. Known as gift card cracking, cybercriminals can take wild guesses at gift card codes and cash in the value for themselves by methodically guessing strings of numbers and letters and crossing their fingers for a match. Cybercriminals will also employ <\/span>phishing emails<\/span><\/a>, texts, or social media direct messages to trick people into divulging gift card information.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

            How to Stay Safe This Black Friday and Cyber Monday<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

            Luckily, there are several ways to sniff out a bad actor trying to cash in on your holiday spirit. Here are a few simple ways you can modify your online holiday shopping habits to keep your devices free from malware and your PII out of the hands of bad actors.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n