Scams Ramp Up Ahead of Black Friday Cybercriminal Craze

[silversurfer]

Content source

https://threatpost.com/scams-black-friday-cybercriminal-craze/161239/

The number of online holiday shoppers this year is expected to skyrocket due to the pandemic – and consequently, consumers can expect an onslaught of scams, phishing attacks and other malicious activities.
The risk of infection is driving consumers to shop from the safety of their homes, rather than venture out into stores. In fact, a recent study revealed that 62 percent of consumers shop more online now than before COVID-19. From a cybercriminal perspective, this skyrocketing level of online shoppers translates to more potential victims.
Hackers are looking to cash in on the top shopping days in the U.S. – Black Friday and Cyber Monday – as well as other events, like Singles’ Day, which recently occurred this week in China. [...]

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) also warned on Friday of scammers taking advantage of virtual holiday events – such as holiday markets and craft fairs – by creating phony copycat events that charge for admission and steal victims’ credit-card information.
“In another twist on this scam, some virtual holiday markets have a website or social media page where vendors can post photos of their products and links to their websites,” according to the BBB. “Be careful here too! Some consumers reported to BBB that they the clicked the links provided, thinking they lead to an online shop. Instead, the sites downloaded malware.”

Scams Ramp Up Ahead of Black Friday Cybercriminal Craze

With more online shoppers this year due to COVID-19, cybercriminals are pulling the trigger on new scams ahead of Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

threatpost.com

 

[silversurfer]

NCSC Issues Warning About Expected #BlackFriday Scams

As Black Friday and Cyber Monday loom, the NCSC warns about common scam tactics

www.infosecurity-magazine.com

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has issued refreshed guidance for online shopping ahead of this week’s Black Friday.
The NCSC said that cyber-criminals are seeking to exploit an increased number of online shopping transactions in the run-up to Christmas and anticipated that consumers may slightly lower their guards during the rush to bag the best deals.

The advice includes:

• Being selective about where you shop
• Only providing necessary information
• Using a secure protected payment
• Keeping your accounts secure
• Identifying suspicious emails, phone calls and text messages