Have you ever gone shopping online and got sucked in by a scam and lost money? A scam that you should have seen coming a mile away while you were blindfolded?
It’s frustrating as all get out and can make you see red pretty quick as we all like to think we’re too smart to get sucked into these deals. But the fact is, millions of smart online shoppers get hammed with these cons every year.
Below are some of the dirty dozen online scams you should be aware of this Christmas shopping season.
Holiday Screen Savers: You’re about to download that free, lovely holiday Normal Rockwell like screen saver that features a happy family in a warm cozy house with a fire in the fireplace and all the kids next to a gorgeous Xmas tree unwrapping presents. Don’t do it. Some of them loaded with viruses and other malware, including one found by McAfee that promises to let you “fly with Santa in 3-D." Some free holiday-themed ringtones and e-cards have been known to contain malware as well.
The hotel wrong transaction scam: This is another slick piece of work. In one case a scammer sent out emails that appeared to be from a hotel, claiming that a 'wrong transaction' had been discovered on the recipient’s credit card. It then asked them to fill out an attached refund form. Oops. Don't do it.
Mobile device malware: A lot of people use their phones for shopping and research this time of year. Beware. The McAffee antivirus folks say Android phones are "most at risk," of getting a virus or some other piece of malware that will cost you headaches and maybe money. The Android (operating system) based devices are reportedly the most targeted smartphone platform for viruses and malware.
McAfee also says recent malware has been discovered that targets “QR codes,” a digital barcode that consumers might scan with their smartphone to find good deals online or just to learn about products they want to buy.
Malicious mobile apps: In addition there are mobile apps designed by scammers to steal information from your smartphone, or send out expensive text messages without your consent and to add insult to injury some dangerous apps to download are usually offered for free, and masquerade as “fun” applications, such as games. Last year some 4.6 million Android smartphone users downloaded a suspicious wallpaper app that collected and transmitted user data to a site in China. Cute, yes?
The famous phony Facebook promotions and contests: These scams feed off of our collective need to want to get something of value for nothing, forgetting that there is no free lunch – one way or another we pay for something that is "free."
But the scammers know many of us cannot resist the lure of winning some free prize or getting some great deal on a product or travel during the holidays so they sprinkle Facebook and other social media sites with these attractive lures which turnout to be connected to their scam, whatever that happens to be.
Sometimes the scam is just aimed at getting your personal information. There was one scam offering to free airline tickets but required you to fill out multiple surveys requesting personal information."
Holiday phishing scams: One common holiday phishing scam is a phony notice from UPS, saying you have a package and need to fill out an attached form to get it delivered. The form will most likely ask for personal or financial details that will go straight into the hands of the cyber scammer.
Bank phishing scams are always hot during the holiday season because consumers are spending more money and checking bank balances online more often.
Phishing is an e-mail fraud method in which the perpetrator sends out legitimate-looking email in an attempt to gather personal and financial information from recipients.
Typically, the messages appear to come from well-known and trustworthy Web sites…like your bank.
Other web sites that are frequently spoofed by phishers include PayPal, eBay, MSN, Yahoo, BestBuy, and America Online. A phishing expedition, like the fishing expedition it's named for, is where the scammer puts out some bait (or a lure, as they say in fishing) hoping to fool at least a few people that take the bait.
Phishers use a number of different social engineering and e-mail spoofing ploys to try to trick you. In one typical case that went before the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), a 17-year-old boy sent out messages purporting to be from America Online that said there had been a billing problem with recipients' AOL accounts.
The perpetrator's e-mail used AOL logos and contained legitimate links. If recipients clicked on the "AOL Billing Center" link, however, they were taken to a spoofed AOL Web page that asked for personal information, including credit card numbers, personal identification numbers (PINs), social security numbers, banking numbers, and passwords.
This information was used for identity theft.
The FTC warns us to be very suspicious of any official-looking e-mail message that asks for updates on personal or financial information and urges recipients to go directly to the organization's Web site to find out whether the request is legitimate.
If you suspect you have been phished, forward the e-mail to spam@uce.gov or call the FTC help line, 1-877-FTC-HELP.
And then there are numerous online gift card scams. You can protect yourself by following a few simple precautions:
~ Examine cards and packaging for signs of tampering. Don't buy a card where the coating covering the PIN number has been scratched away or the activation sticker isn't firmly affixed.
~ Spend the gift card as soon as possible. Don't put the card in a drawer for months. The longer consumers take to spend their gift cards, the more time thieves have to do it for them.
~ Beware of online exchanges and auction sites. The FTC advises against buying cards from online exchanges or auction sites because of the possibility of buying stolen cards. Instead, buy cards directly from retailers.
Find out more about online scams and how not to be taken in by them here , here , here , and here
XMAS SHOPPING ONLINE?<BR>Don’t get sucked in by online scams | FEATURE NEWS | Sky Valley Chronicle Washington State News
