KnowBe4 Security Tips - Holiday and Seasonal Scams

With the ever-growing popularity of online shopping and online communications, you should always have your guard up in the cyberworld. Criminals will use any situation to their advantage–especially when it comes to annual holidays.

Below you’ll find a few examples of commonly used seasonal and holiday scams, and what you can do to protect yourself.

Fake Shipping/Postal Notifications: End of the year holidays invite a greater likelihood of this common phishing attack, but this is a scam you must be cautious of all year long. Scammers send fake notifications that appear to come from postal service companies. The emails include dangerous links that, if clicked, could install malware on your computer or take you to a fake login page where your credentials will be stolen.

What can I do? To check the legitimacy of these types of claims, always log in to your online account or service through your browser–not through links in unexpected emails.
Travel Deals and Offers: Scammers know that their potential victims travel for holidays throughout the year. Cybercriminals send emails offering fake travel deals from well-known travel sites. They’re even known to create phony websites for cheap hotels and flights so they can rob you of your money.

What can I do? When something seems too good to be true, it probably is. Never click on links in unexpected emails. Before booking through an unfamiliar service, do your research and ensure the company is legitimate.

Social Media Deals and Sales: All social media advertisements are not created equal. A “paid advertisement” may seem trustworthy, but be warned: Anyone can pay to put an ad on social media. During holidays and popular shopping seasons, fraudsters buy ads that offer deals for items that you’re more-than-likely interested in–considering social media ads target the buyer market. The ads typically contain phishing links that lead to fraudulent websites where they will steal your credit card data. Even if the malicious ad is reported and removed, the bad guys typically only need one victim to fall for their trick to make it worth their investment.

What can I do? Always hover over links and URLs before clicking to check whether the URL will take you to a dangerous or unexpected site. If a social media ad appears to be from a company you’re familiar with, check the company’s website instead of clicking on links from the ad.
 
 
Stop Look Think - Don't be fooled
The KnowBe4 Security Team
KnowBe4.com