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With
Christmas comes the online Christmas scam season and we highlight some of the
types of scams that could be around for 2009.
The holiday season is generally a goodwill time of year and for the most part
this is still true. There are however many frauds that may try to take
advantage of the season in many ways.
Victims of online Christmas scams may be in a hurry to get things done and
look for a quicker solution to the gift buying, or just might not be as
vigilant as they normally would.
Generally the same good practises of prudence applies, as in our Top Security Tips, however some extra tips may
need emphasizing.
So still be wary of SPAM, Phishing and other forms of Malware, but be also wary of some of the following
online Christmas oriented scams that could be around:
Fake Products: Be careful of
fake products when shopping online.
- Verify the website you are shopping on.
- Be careful of SPAM emails claiming amazing deals.
- Be wary of SPAM "verifying your order" which you may not have even
made.
Some of these sites may be just trying to get your Credit Card and other
personal information.
Fake Charities: We really
hate the mention this but some online Christmas scams during the season can also be
from frauds claiming to represent a charity.
If you receive such a request, best not to respond to the request directly.
We would however encourage you to still support charities directly (ie: look
them up in the phone directory) and maybe the arrival for a fake charity email is a
good prompt to support a legitimate charity yourself.
Avoid eCards: eCards
may be fun for the Christmas season, but they may also contain malware. Even
such an eCard from a known friend may contain malware as the friend may not have
been prudent.
Also if you must send an eCard, make sure it is from a trusted source and try
not make the file large and clog up your eMail system if it is an attachment.
Online Christmas eCards are still fun if they are from a trusted source.
Merry Christmas.
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