AS THE holiday season and mega sale events like Black Friday and Cyber Monday approach, a tech security firm has urged consumers to be extra vigilant of scams and fraudulent activities online.
This after, Kaspersky found more than 13 million e-shopping related phishing attacks in 2023, with scammers mimicking popular marketplaces, luxury brands, and gadget stores.
“Online shopping, particularly during peak events like Black Friday, is a prime target for deceptive schemes. Fraudsters intensify their activities, capitalizing on the surge in online traffic and shoppers’ desire for deals. It’s crucial to be discerning and adopt secure online practices, protecting yourself against potential threats while enjoying the benefits of the digital marketplace,” said Olga Svistunova, security expert at Kaspersky.
Black Friday, which falls on Nov. 24, 2023, follows the Thanksgiving Day celebration in the US and marks the start of the Christmas shopping season. It’s a significant shopping event with major discounts offered by retailers in stores and online, attracting many holiday shoppers.
Cyber Monday, on the other hand, which falls on Nov. 27, is a term used to describe the Monday immediately following the Thanksgiving holiday. While Black Friday traditionally focuses on in-store sales and promotions, Cyber Monday is associated with online shopping deals.
According to Kaspersky’s experts, scams and phishing are favored tactics for fraudsters seeking profit. In the first 10 months of 2023, the tech security firm identified 30,803,840 phishing attacks targeting online shopping, payment systems, and banking institutions, with e-commerce platforms used as a lure in 43.5 percent of total attacks or 13,390,142 attacks.
Since October, domains using the words “Black Friday” have been widely observed. Websites in these domains range from nonexistent stores to convincing replicas of real online outlets.
Kaspersky said it consistently identified numerous fake stores offering clothing, appliances and gadgets since the beginning of fall. The most prevalent schemes center on creating fraudulent stores where individuals pay for products that they never receive.
Another scheme involves linking a card to allegedly pay for goods, allowing scammers to gradually withdraw money and empty victims’ accounts.
Kaspersky’s experts also revealed fraudsters target potential victims with scams using big brand industry leaders such as eBay, Walmart, Alibaba and local platforms like Mercado Libre in 240,000 phishing attacks.
Scammers also target tech enthusiasts by mimicking Apple products and services around Black Friday. Kaspersky products have detected 2.8 million phishing attacks from January to October 2023. Gamers find themselves ensnared by console scams, promising purchases but ultimately leaving them out of pocket.
To enjoy the Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers, Kaspersky advised consumers not to trust any links or attachments received by mail and to instead double-check the sender before opening anything.
It also advised online shoppers to double-check e-shop websites before filling out any information and protect all the devices for online shopping with a reliable security solution.
Online shoppers are also encouraged to check reviews before purchasing items, especially if they are from an unknown company.
It also advised consumers to immediately check the legitimacy of transactions paid through credit cards online instead of waiting for the paper billing statements to be delivered.