Online shopping is a fact of life for many of us. Many of those who don’t usually shop online will make an exception for the deals available during the holiday season. What do you need to keep in mind so you can shop online securely?

Why the holidays?

Scammers and other online criminals will take advantage of any season. They find their lures are taken more often when it is the news of the day. In recent months, scams have circled around COVID. Travel restrictions, vaccines, and working from home have been big hitters.

Now that the holidays have come, expect cybercriminals to change their emphasis. They know that people are looking for great deals. They know that supply chain issues concern many shoppers. And they know that almost everyone is expecting a package on their doorstep.

Where should we pay special attention?

• Fraud sites. Amazon is a huge target for this. Look out for lookalike websites or emails from known vendors seeking to scam you of money, steal credentials, or install malware.
• Smishing. Text message-based phishing is on the rise. Many people will read a text to their phone when they may never open a phishy email. One example we’ve seen land quite a few times in our inboxes is a fake text link to a delivery notice. Read more about it here.
• TGTBT. (Offers that are too good to be true.) Is a vendor you don’t recognize offering diamond necklaces for the price of cubic zirconia? Is a breeder offering AKC certified puppies delivered for $200? Is that dream vacation rental discounted to 50% the cost of others in the neighborhood? Beware! Other clues of a bad offer include use of stock photos and requests for payment via wire transfer or gift card.

5 Questions To Ask Yourself

1. Do I recognize the email or text sender?
2. Does the message fit other messages I’ve received from them?
3. Does the message refer to an account or purchase I recognize?
4. Is the message pressuring me to act quickly?
5. When I hover over the “from” address or links, do the sender and url match what is claimed?