Many internet users do their Christmas shopping online. Not only is this the busiest time for retail, cybercriminals are also particularly active now to make money with fake shops and other scams. This is fueled by promotional days such as Black Friday and discount campaigns, which are particularly important for consumers this year.
The high energy costs and inflation mean that buyers have to pay particular attention to the price. This makes them even more susceptible to online fraud in the pre-Christmas stress. G DATA CyberDefense advises caution and gives tips for buying Christmas presents safely online.
Christmas shopping: lots of wishes, little money
There are only a few weeks left until Christmas and the wish lists are long and extensive. However, inflation and the high costs of gas, electricity and gasoline are causing many consumers' gift budgets to shrink, making the search for cheap offers for toys, electronics, etc. even more important than in recent years.
There are especially a lot of scammers out and about
This causes additional stress. Online shoppers benefit from discounts and promotions such as Black Week or Black Friday, but cyber criminals are now also increasingly active in harming consumers.
“The Christmas business brings cybercriminals high profits every year. They rely on fake shops and fake offers and steal amounts of money or personal information, such as access data for online payment service providers. Consumers should keep calm during the Christmas rush and take the time to carefully examine offers and providers. If you also use an active security solution when shopping and keep your smartphones and computers up to date, nothing will stand in the way of buying gifts and giving presents.”
Tim Berghoff, Security Evangelist at G DATA CyberDefense.
The cash registers never ring sweeter than in the run-up to Christmas
It is the most important time of the year for trading, with high sales and strong profits. Cybercriminals therefore rely on these two scams in particular to boost their criminal Christmas business:
- Fake shops: Fraudsters use fake online shops to try to obtain purchase amounts for non-existent goods. They advertise offers on normally expensive perfumes, designer goods or hard-to-find electronic items such as game consoles - all at a reasonable price. Often only the payment method “advance payment” is offered for an order, so that the purchase price is paid, but in the end the goods are not delivered or only inferior products are delivered. Depending on the objective, the perpetrators also want to obtain access data for online payment service providers or other services. Fake shops are often not recognizable at first glance. Only a look at the legal notice, the delivery conditions or the delivery conditions offered shows that the online shop is not reputable. It is therefore worth taking a closer look for consumers.
- Fake offers: The fraudsters rely on very cheap offers for sought-after items. These are offered for sale via sales platforms. In addition, consumers receive a flood of spam emails in the run-up to Christmas in which dubious offers can also be found. The items are often offered well below the usual market price. The offer seems “too good to be true”. Consumers should examine very cheap items critically and, if in doubt, avoid purchasing them.
Security expert Tim Berghoff advises consumers to look closely when it comes to bargains. He also advises using a comprehensive security solution and recommends always keeping the operating system and all applications on mobile devices and computers up to date with the help of updates.
Source:
G DATA Cyber Defense via press release
Already read? Mimikama is always concerned with the topic of fake shops: Beware of fake shops: a supposed bargain can quickly lead to empty pockets
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