Beware of Fraudulent Attempts
The best season of the year is right around the corner, and there are many great online shopping deals. Online shoppers are looking for great deals to purchase their favorite gadgets, toys, clothes, and other products that they’ve always wanted.
Online shopping has made it possible for people to shop from home and save money.
However, those who seek to commit nefarious acts also enjoy this convenience.
Hackers use sophisticated techniques to steal sensitive information from users or organizations to gain monetary benefits. Hackers profit from the holiday shopping boom, when shoppers are looking for amazing savings.
Consumers and merchants should be cautious as they prepare for the busy shopping season. Beware of scammers who create fake websites and send emails claiming to offer deals and offers that are too good to believe.
Fraud attempts are at their peak during Thanksgiving Day. They start on Black Friday and continue through Cyber Monday. Both website owners and consumers need to be vigilant for any fraudulent schemes.
Black Friday Shopping Scams
Everyone loves a great deal. Great deals tend to be tied to limited-time offers that require immediate action. Cyber Monday and Black Friday deals are not any different. Cyber Monday deals are popular with shoppers who will be quick to grab the limited-time offer.
Online scammers have the opportunity to exploit the weaknesses of website owners and shoppers careless enough to make them look bad.
Scammers have created a variety of fraudulent Black Friday apps and websites that are loaded with scams to steal personal and financial data.
Cyber Monday and Black Friday are the most popular times of year for hackers to create malicious landing pages. They mask it with well-known brands so it looks very similar to genuine websites. These offers may look very similar to real deals, so shoppers might be lured to download malicious apps or trick buyers into providing their sensitive data.
They circulate scam mails via social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp, etc. days before Black Friday. These emails claim false promises of discounts up to 90% on Amazon.com. Consumers must be extra careful that a team from Amazon tweeted “Please don’t share your order/account/personal details in such websites. ”
Another common hack technique is to use Black Friday scam URL frames – even though the URL is very short. Short URLs are often found on mobile browsers, which tend to do a lot on their phones. Customers will be able to ignore the full URL and see only the URL. This makes it easy for them to miss the real address.
There are ways to protect yourself this Black Friday
- Check out Your SmartphoneAll of your sensitive data can be found on your smartphone. This data can be accessible to unwelcome users. Hackers use it to find sensitive information and then find ways to access your smartphone. Even if your smartphone has the most recent security technology, it is still necessary to perform security checks.
- Verify websites: Black Friday deals online are almost too good to be true. These fake deals will redirect you to a malicious website once you click them. Avoid these phishing scams.
- When you swipe, be carefulEMV chip cards were created to protect POS terminals. To steal card information, cyber thieves target merchant POS processing systems. The use of one-time passcodes will provide protection. This is because the passcode can only be used for a limited time. Malicious hackers cannot access the passcode even if it is stolen.
- Use secure Wi-Fi connections: Avoid using public hotspots to connect to the internet. Also, do not make financial transactions or purchase online.Regularly Check Your Credit Card Statements: Make sure to regularly check your credit card statements to see if any suspicious transactions have occurred.
- Keep it up to date: Although you may have the most recent security software installed on your system, it is important to make sure that all software, including security software, is up-to-date. Hackers will find a way to exploit the vulnerabilities in outdated software or applications.
Advice for Black Friday
Retailers should be aware of Black Friday
- Know your clients and what compliance requirements you must meet
- Secure customer data in transit and static modes
- You can ensure that your cloud security is effective and you have control over your encryption keys
- All devices and networks should be subject to vulnerability assessments and penetration testing.
- Recruit in-house data security experts
Black Friday tips for shoppers
- Do not click on unsolicited attachments or links
- Avoid clicking on pop-up advertisements or emails claiming to offer deals too good to be true.
- Be careful before clicking on advertisements.
How to stay safe in the wild
These are some tips that will help you stay safe out in the wild.
Businesses and consumers can be sure to avoid online frauds on Black Friday.
Be wary by default NOT open suspicious emails. It is best to directly go to the retailer’s website by entering the address bar.
Create a separate email address If you want to be notified about Black Friday alerts you should create a separate email ID.
Have a separate Credit card If you shop online, it is recommended to have a separate credit account that can only be used for online purchases. This will help you to minimize your losses in the event of an attack.
Provide Security Awareness Training all employees must be aware of possible cyber threats. Effective training methods should be used to train employees as well as other users to ensure that security breaches are prevented.
Happy Black Friday! Here are the big deals
Google Play has some Cyber Monday and Black Friday deals. Check out the Play Store Cyber Week portal to see all of these deals. You can also find Cyber Monday deals from Amazon and Walmart.
It is important to use a security software such as cWatch web security software to remain safe while you shop online for discounts.
Our website security scanner allows online shoppers to check the website’s security. The cWatch Web site scanner scans a website in a matter of minutes. It will give you a rating and provide you with more information about whether or not the site is protected.
Site owners must ensure that their visitors have a secure and safe online experience. cWatch Web offers a fantastic Cyber Monday and Black Friday deal with their yearly PRO plans. Websites can now be secured against malicious malware and hackers for less than $1 per week with an enterprise-grade security solution.
Shoppers, business owners, and brand owners must create a secure and enjoyable online experience.