Deep Blue Publications Group: Holiday Scams to Avoid This Year
Shipping
Notification Scam
Possible targets were sent an email that encloses fallacious
shipping information, frequently from a well-known delivery company such as
DHL, UPS or FedEx, or a major retailer like Amazon. There are a small number of
differences to this holiday scam, like as a “delivery failure notification”
message that says that a company attempted to deliver a package while you were
out.
It is more often to contain a file attached to the message.
A file attached is an indication that you’ve just received a fraudulent
phishing email.
Unwary recipients click on the file, opening a virus
download that aims to “phish” (i.e. scan) through their computer. Throughout
this phishing stage, sensitive information like bank account numbers and
passwords were then all gotten. Worst is that even some viruses even go so far
as to hijack access to your computer. Then, it can only be returned after a
payment is made. The FBI reports that this type of “ransomware” has experienced
resurgence of late.
Malicious mobile apps are produced with a technology known
as “near field communication” (NFC) encoded into the app. This permits two
NFC-capable devices to share data with one another; the trouble is that various
credit cards have built-in NFC technology.
The tainted app maintains to scan for credit card
information in the background, despite when the phone is not being used. What
happens next is as soon as the compromised smartphone is put in close proximity
to a wallet; it collects credit card credentials and emails it to the
perpetrator.
Criminals will use this information for purchases online and
even in stores that have a tap-and-go payment device. To prevent yourself from
becoming a victim of this online identity theft, make a research about the
developer beforehand by confirming that their website is legitimate and reading
through user reviews.
Text
Message Scams
This particular ploy disguises in many different shapes as
it operates. Some recommends that you’ve signed up for a service that will cost
some amount of dollars while the others ask for the identity of your bank and
ask you to “verify your PIN” to reactivate your debit card if you don’t cancel
the subscription by clicking through to a link in the message.
In the end, victims then gave up their information to
perpetrators, or downloading a Trojan that tracks and stores all activity on
the device. .
Delete the message at once subsequent to when the time
you’ve reported it, but be certain not to respond to any prompts like “text
message STOP” to end the messages. Because by doing these the scammers will get
the confirmation that the number is active. Better yet, call your bank to alert
them of the incident.
Charity
Scams
Fraudsters wait until someone will fall for their bait, this
bait is the unsolicited email they sent out. Usually the message will appear as
a narrative of how the alleged traveler got caught up in midst of the Typhoon
and is in immediate distress without access to his funds. And of course the
email will end to the sender requesting a temporary “loan” from the would-be
victim, with the promise to repay it as soon as the sender gets home.
Recipients are asked to send out money thru Western Union or
MoneyGram, then finding out later that the one the recipient is dealing with
just got away with their cash. This emotional appeal also takes the form of an
email soliciting donations under a well-known charity organization, like the
Red Cross.
Gift
Card Scams
Rip Mason, CEO and director of LegalShield, a legal services
and identity theft protection provider, explained how thieves get away with
this scam. “The way these scams work is that a lot of retailers will display
their gift cards at the checkout aisle or leave them out in the open for
consumers to browse through,” said Mason. “This makes them vulnerable to thieves
who take the cards, obtain the pertinent numbers listed on them, and then place
them back on the store rack.”
“Afterwards, the thieves electronically track the gift cards
and wait for money to be activated. Once a customer adds money and activates the
card, the thieves promptly drain the funds electronically, leaving the person
receiving the gift card with a balance of zero and dismay at the checkout
aisle.”
To keep away from having you and your gift recipient become
a victim of this unknown holiday scam, Mason recommends the following tips:
1.Be suspicious of and avoid buying any gift cards that are
in packaging which appears to be tampered with.
2.If a retail outlet keeps its gift cards out in the open
and not in any packaging, ask the clerk or manager if they have any gift cards
behind the counter or in the back of store.
3.Only purchase gift cards from trusted retailers or their
websites; avoid purchasing them from a third party vendor you aren’t familiar
with.
