The holiday season is the prime time for fraudsters looking to take advantage of distracted, frenzied shoppers. Consumers are worried about protecting their data because of the spike in hack attacks, phishing schemes and scams. Despite the festivities and spirit of giving, it is becoming more difficult for consumers to avoid the bad guys in a dangerous digital world.
Don’t let Cyber Grinches steal your cash and holiday cheer. To keep you cyber safe for the holidays, we’ll be counting down the twelve most popular scams to watch out for this season.
Fraudsters copy the codes off the back of gift cards before they’re purchased and then wait for them to be activated to drain the funds.
Tip:Try to purchase gift cards from behind store counters, and check preloaded cards to ensure they’re still loaded. Look at the back of the card to ensure the area with the protective scratch-off has not been tampered with. Don’t buy gift cards from third parties.
You can learn more about how to protect yourself from gift card fraud and other scams from Adam Levin’s newest book, Swiped: How to Protect Yourself in a World Full of Scammers, Phishers, and Identity Thieves. This is your survival guide to help you avoid hackers, phishers, and scammers from becoming your problem during the holidays. With a clear headed, practical approach, Swiped is invaluable not only for preventing problems but helping consumers cope when dealing with identity theft incidents. Order your copy of the best selling Privacy and Online Safety book on Amazon.
