Holiday Scams to Avoid

If you are rushing to do some last-minute online shopping before shipping deadlines pass, you may not be as careful about safeguarding your personal information. Here are some reminders on safe online shopping as well as some common holiday scams circulating this season.

Common Holiday Scams of 2013

1. Big discounts - Not all great deals are too good to be true, but if you don’t know the retailer, consider that a red flag. It’s harder for newer or smaller retailers to offer deep discounts.
2. Coupons for popular items - if you have to sign away a lot of personal details to claim a coupon, it’s probably not real
3. Shopping Apps - official-looking apps for shopping, particularly those that feature endorsements, could be malicious and insidious, even going so far as to redirect your calls. Be sure to verify app authenticity on official websites.
4. Holiday eCards – since you’re likely to receive some legit ones, scammers continue to succeed with this tactic. Some eCards can download malware to your computer, so don’t open ones that are from unusual addresses or contain obvious errors.
5. Mobile apps – buy from official app stores, check app permissions, read reviews. Free apps may not be worth it!
6. There’s a problem with your order - Beware of phishing emails that cite an issue with your order; real companies would call
7. Deals on social networking sites - whether shown in an ad or in your friend’s feed, you should be suspicious of any discounts, deals, coupons or contests. In many cases, hackers have posted bogus links; in others, people have unwittingly shared links to malicious sites after they were duped (so let them know to delete the links!)
8. Holiday downloads - music, screensavers and even some games may contain malware. Download only from trusted websites
9. Claim this package - if you get an unsolicited email to claim a gift or package or gift card, be sure to check with the person who supposedly sent it to you – it may be a phishing scam
10. Travel deals – search for travel deals at legit websites, not on search engines. Many fake websites pop up with ‘deals’ that are phishing scams.
11. Charity scams – if you receive an email asking for holiday donations, beware that even official looking emails can be scams. If you want to be charitable, go to an official website instead of clicking on links in emails.
12. You’ve won! - if you get a text or email that you’ve won something you don’t remember entering, most of these are scams. Real contests would contact you by phone. If you do click on the link, don’t continue by divulging any personal information and immediately run a virus scan. For texts, read up on how to spot a smishing attack.
13. Fake installers - if you receive a text message asking you for anything, or prompting you to install anything, NEVER do it. It will never be legitimate.

Safe Online Shopping

Whenever you’re shopping online, follow these tips:

1. Look for secure websites on login/order pages (https://, closed padlock, unbroken key)
2. Do business with companies you know
3. Beware misspelled URLs. Scammers often try to buy up common misspellings for popular brands, including ones that have extra vowels you may overlook
4. Read the site’s privacy policy to understand what personal information is being requested and how it will be used
5. Use a credit card, whenever possible (often this gives you an opportunity to dispute charges)
6. Never give out your Social Security Number to order anything
7. Never disclose “optional” information such as lifestyle information
8. Use a secure password, unique to each site you use. Use a Password Manager to keep track of all your passwords easily
9. Don’t shop using public Wi-Fi
10. Keep your computer (or mobile device) up to date and protected with anti-malware/anti-virus software
11. If you receive a marketing message from an unknown source / website, don’t proceed to place an order there – it may be a phishing message
12. Save a copy of your order
13. Do business with companies in your country to be protected by consumer protection laws
14. If it looks illegitimate, it probably is

If you think you’ve been scammed or have mistakenly clicked on a suspicious link, run a virus scan on your device (including your mobile phone or tablet!). If you think your credit card is compromised, call your credit cart company immediately to put a watch on your card.

Hat tips to techlicious, IT business edge