How to Forget About Cyber Scams During the Shopping Season

The privacy leakage and risk of online scams have become high with the online shopping trend. It is now highly recommended to keep yourself safe from these scams. Shopping cyber scam is high in the festive season. As December arrives, Christmas and the end of the year Black Friday offers will open these kinds of scams. Considering this situation, we will provide necessary and meaningful information about these scams so that you can avoid them and save yourself. For additional protection, you may also consider using a reliable VPN service like CyberGhost to enhance your online security.

Cyber Scam and Online Shopping Season: Overview

Cyber scams are the scams that take place online. These scams include phishing emails, fake accounts, social media, and fake online websites. Suppose anyone is the target of this scam. In that case, they will lose their credentials, information, and money because the primary purpose behind these scams is to steal money and data from targeted users.

With the great diversion to online shopping, cyber scams are increasing daily, especially during the shopping season. It’s at a high peak. This post will inform you of different scams and how to evade them.

What are the Different Cyber Scams During the Shopping Season?

In this festive season, while shopping online, you should be aware of cyber scams to avoid them accordingly. Please read the cyber scam details below.

Phishing Emails:

Email marketing is a popular online advertising technique many famous brands and companies use. Companies send emails to customers and promote their brands. During the festive season, you may also receive such emails.

But before opening these emails, make sure you are not opening malicious emails, as scammers also send malevolent emails to customers by offering them cheap product prices. In this way, they will steal your personal information.

Fake Social Media:

Everyone now uses social media platforms, and there are no age limitations for using these platforms. Besides entertainment, these social sites are now become the hub of business promotion and advertisement. People use social media platforms for online shopping during festival season and nearly yearly.

Scammers create e-commerce stores and advertise other brands’ products by putting fake logos on popular social websites. People order from these stores, and most of the time, they deliver the first order after getting customers’ attention and trust. They will steal the payments, and in return, they will not provide the order.

Fake Website:

Before shopping online, you should ensure you are not on fake websites. Hackers/ scammers create fake e-commerce websites and offer different products/items to shop for. Always shop from a website that uses a secure encrypted format for user information.

On a legitimate website, users’ details are encrypted so that hackers/scammers do not intercept them. These websites are advertised on social media platforms, and when users click on them, they are directed to fake websites.

Charity Scam:

In different countries, people donate handsome amounts to charity at the end of the year during holidays. You might see some of the donation advertisements on popular websites. Scammers can also use these tricks and take advantage of fake charity programs. They will call you or send you messages to ask for donations, being the representative of any fake organization.

To eliminate such scams, make sure you are connected with registered and legal organizations or NGOs who are working for the wellness of people with low incomes.

Gift Hamper:

During the shopping season, scammers invite you to receive a lucky draw gift hamper on social media and different shopping websites. As users click on these pop-ups or notifications, they are directed to a fake website where they are asked to complete a form to receive the hamper. These forms require personal information and credentials from users and steal their essential data.

How Do You Stay Safe From Cyber Scams During the Shopping Season? (Precaution Tips)

Read the following tips and tricks to identify scammers and avoid scams when you shop online.

Shop On A Trusted Website:

The very first tip to avoid online scammers during the shopping season is to shop from only trusted and popular safe websites. Numerous popular, trusted websites are available where you can shop for all the items you want.

Make sure the website you are browsing is legitimate and secure. You can identify a secure website through the padlock. A padlock is placed next to the URL of the website. It is a digital certificate, which means that the website is secure and certified and that the information you are entering into that particular website cannot be intercepted.

Use A Secure Payment Method:

Make sure the payment gateway you are using for online payments and shopping is secure. Always use credit cards for payments and monitor your bank transactions during the festive season. Enable your bank notification so that you can get notifications of every transaction on time. If you notice anything unusual, report it immediately.

Evade Phishing Emails:

You may receive bogus or phishing emails or texts during the shopping season. Avoid these kinds of emails and messages. In these emails, you may be asked to provide your personal information, or it may mislead you by sending sales on product messages. To avoid these emails or texts, you should create a separate email account for the shopping season so that you will not receive any phishing emails in your professional account.

Use MFA:

MFA stands for Multi-Factor Authentication. In this type of authentication, users get access to the website when they provide authentication in more than one way. For example, we usually use a password to log in, but if you set more than one means of electronic verification, it will be multi-factor authentication. It is considered one of the safe ways to keep your accounts and login credentials secure. Ensure that the password you set for your account is strong and has multiple letters, e.g., uppercase and lowercase.

Stay Up To Date:

Keep your security software up to date. Over time, security software has become more robust. Apart from that, you should be aware of these scams and know about them. You must read about these scams and know how to protect yourself from them.

FAQs

Final Verdict:

A cyber scam is a malicious online attack when you shop online on uncertified platforms. Do not open phishing emails and messages, as they will redirect you to a fake website and steal your bank information. Monitor your bank history during this shopping season. Keep yourself updated to be protected from scams in this festive season.