How to prevent scams from disrupting your holidays

As the holiday cheer is in the air, many of us are in a celebratory mood. Unfortunately, so are scammers, who will take advantage of the festive cheer to get you when you least expect it! As always, it is important to stay on guard for scams. But even if you’re a cyber scam prevention pro, take the opportunity to raise awareness about scams among your colleagues, friends, and loved ones.

Scammers may target you in the following ways during the holidays: We’re here to help you avoid them and let you enjoy the holidays peacefully!

10 common holiday scams and how to avoid them

Deceptive social media advertisements.

This place on Facebook Marketplace offers a coffeemaker for only $30! This will be a great gift for Christmas! Let’s click on the ad to buy it.

And that’s when they get you. These advertisements direct users to fraudulent online stores that pinch credit card information and personal details. Falling prey to such schemes can result in monetary losses and identity theft.

How to avoid: Be vigilant.

To safeguard against such scams, conduct research on a given store. This includes looking for customer reviews, ratings, and testimonials from reputable sources. Be sceptical of deals that seem too good to be true.

Also, install security software to protect devices, and monitor financial statements for any unauthorised transactions so you can report suspicious transactions immediately.

Deceptive delivery notification texts can easily fool people who aren’t paying enough attention.

Oh no! That essential oil package you ordered is being delayed! You’ll have to pay a ‘delay fee’ as compensation.

Seem suspicious? Good! These are fraudulent messages!

They falsely state a problem regarding something you ordered online and demand a sort of ‘ransom’ for the product, making you unnecessarily pay more.

How to avoid: As always, verify the message source. Confirming the legitimacy of the text message sender.

Rather than clicking on links embedded in a notification, visit the official website of the delivery service.

Enter the tracking number to access accurate and up-to-date information. Furthermore, you can always contact a delivery company directly, using their official contact details, to verify the status of your package.

Deceptive charity donations

‘Feed the kids for Christmas’. Is that an actual charity or a scheme that takes advantage of your kindness?

It’s the latter. Scammers have been known to create phoney charities in order to profit or to steal personal information, especially during the season of giving. Some of these fake charities have been observed on GoFundMe and Facebook.

How to avoid: To steer clear of these types of scams, check on the legitimacy of the charity by investigating the charity’s website.

For crowdfunding campaigns, confirm the authenticity of the cause and the organiser. Look for details such as the purpose of the campaign and how the funds will be used, and see if you can get a sense of the organiser’s credibility.

Fraudulent offers on airline tickets or scarce items.

It’s time for a trip overseas! There are a few sites offering largely cheaper deals than usual for our hotel!

Don’t be fooled! Numerous scams focus on the holiday surge in travel-related purchases or exploit the demand for sought-after products. By enticing people to accidentally buy counterfeit tickets or merchandise, they get to splurge while you stay stuck at home.

How to avoid: Don’t fall victim to bogus deals.

Ahead of making a purchase, research the seller and/or the website, and exercise caution if the deal seems too good to be true. These include unrealistic prices, especially for tough-to-find items.

You should also ensure that the website has a secure connection (HTTPS, not HTTP). Finally, carefully read the terms and conditions of the deal. Trust your instincts; they wouldn’t offer a hotel price that low without a twist.

Watch out for phishing emails that mimic emails from reputable brands.

Ok, so the coffeemaker delay isn’t real. But why does Amazon itself say so? And why is it demanding another ‘delay compensation’ fee through your email on an unknown account?

Well, scammers sometimes try to pose as representatives of familiar companies! These deceptive emails employ social engineering tactics in an effort to illicitly obtain passwords, personal data, and financial information.

How to avoid: Once again, verify the information.

Verify giveaways or promotions by visiting an official company website. Install and regularly update reputable security software to enhance protection.

Precautions such as reviewing sender information, remaining sceptical of unsolicited communications, and avoiding suspicious links can also help.

Job Scams

To earn extra for the holidays, you decide to find a temporary job this month. While I respect you for being hardworking, be warned that scammers take advantage of that too.

Job scams are at their peak during the holiday season!

Fake job postings may promise substantial earnings for minimal effort. The scammers typically aim to pilfer personal information under the guise of a hiring process. Or, they try to deceive people into sending them money for ‘supplies and training’. Not worth it for some extra bank!

How to avoid: Exercise caution!

You should be wary if there appears to be an unrealistic compensation structure. Also, be sure to confirm the legitimacy of the organisation by checking its official details. Legitimate companies are transparent and provide easily verifiable information online. Furthermore, a generic email address may indicate a job scam. Honest employers always maintain a professional online presence.

If a job requires payment for supplies or training, it’s best to avoid it. Don’t proceed with any job opportunity that raises doubts or concerns.

‘Grandparent scams’

Wait, why has your grandpa sent thousands of dollars away? And some more—it apparently went to you, according to him? Despite not requesting any money at all from your grandfather,?

Bad news: your grandpa has been scammed. Such scams predominantly prey on senior citizens and involve the impersonation of a distressed grandchild. The ‘grandchild’ typically requests money. Last year, nearly 400 senior citizens fell victim to grandparent scams, leading to over $4 million in losses.

How to avoid: Ask them to keep safe!

People with senior relatives can warn them about this scam. Seniors should question urgent requests for financial assistance, especially if they involve wire transfers or gift cards.

If in doubt, those on the receiving end of suspicious messages are encouraged to directly contact other family members, using known and trusted phone numbers, to account for the seeming situation.

Remember that scams affect everyone, no matter what. Tell others to stay vigilant!

Hacking over public Wi-Fi.

You have a seven-hour flight ahead of you, with a two-hour layover! I guess it’s best to do some of the stuff your boss assigned you.

You connect to the airport’s WiFi and transfer an important spreadsheet of the company’s plans to the boss.

By doing so, you have essentially risked your entire company’s data being breached.

While airports, hotels, cafes, and other frequented locations may offer free public Wi-Fi, these networks are known for being easily hackable. Scammers leverage a method known as man-in-the-middle (MiTM) to intercept data. It’s like playing monkey, except the ball is your company’s data.

How to avoid: Be careful what you share in public!

Keep your credit card numbers, passwords, and personal details private by avoiding the temptation to shop online while out and about.

Shop from safe and secured networks only. If you’re concerned about your home network security, consider a VPN, which can encrypt your internet connection and protect data from interception.

If conducting a transaction while out, you may want to use your cellular data network for the transaction rather than public Wi-Fi. Cellular connections are considered more secure.

Mobile entertainment risks.

You still have some time to pass. Fortunately, a few mobile games can help pass the time quickly! However, for the ‘normies’ among us who aren’t all that familiar with the gaming market, take care in choosing a mobile game; some may compromise device security.

How to avoid: Before downloading any app, conduct a quick online search to gather information about it. Meticulously review the permissions that it requests.

Remember, a legitimate game should not require permission to send text messages or share information with third parties. Look out for that!

Business email compromise (BEC) scams.

Your boss suddenly wants another Christmas party. And he’s asking you to pay for it.

Fraudsters have found success in impersonating company executives through email and text messages. These scams resulted in losses of over billions of dollars annually. They exploit urgency and authority, attempting to persuade individuals to pay invoices for events like holiday parties or to respond to phoney billing requests.

How to avoid: If you think that you might have encountered a BEC scam, check for red flags, look at the sender’s email address again, and confirm requests with executives.

Furthermore, keep software, operating systems, and security systems up-to-date. Report suspected BEC scams to your IT department or other relevant parties. Efficient reporting can help prevent similar scams from affecting you!

Conclusion

You should go all out to enjoy the holidays fully. But remember that scams always happen, so be careful. Warn your loved ones too, and report suspected scams to the police. This way, everyone can have a wonderful holiday season!