Holiday season is scam season! The internet has blended Christmas with online robbery. Only tax season is more dangerous for the average consumer. So get ready!
Let’s get a few things straight right out the gate. First, no one is immune or smarter than the crooks. You don’t have to be smarter than the cyber criminals. Just smart enough to know a scam when you see one. It ain’t easy! Second, be proactive. Start looking for the scam now and everyday. And all year long! Third, holiday cyber criminals are not always after money. Often they are after information. Its called phishing. After they get the information then they steal your money! So get ready!
So you’re probably asking why are there more scams during the Christmas season? Well, the cyber criminals know that consumer spending often skyrockets during the holidays. Many stores, both online and in the shopping centers, operate at a loss all year only to see profits explode during holiday season. The crooks know you’re spending money. They know you want to help those less fortunate. People do more impulse shopping in stores and online. People are looking for a good, great or fantastic deal. All these factors add up to you being a prime target for a scam. So get ready!
Here are a few other factors to consider;
- More people shop online meaning millions more potential victims.
- More online purchases make it easier for cyber criminals to hide their fraudulent transactions among legitimate ones
- Online retailers want to get your holiday dollars so they may focus on profits over security by weakening their fraud filters leaving you open to scammers.
- Holiday shopping ads explode during this time of the year. The perfect cover for cyber criminals to slip their bogus deals into your email or text messages.
Now you know.