- Scammers are taking advantage of the holiday season to trick shoppers, experts warn
- Persuasive ads, URLs, storefronts are intended to entice customers to enter card details
- Parcel scams encourage customers to give away their personal information
Christmas shopping can be quite stressful, but it’s not only important to get the right gift – but due to the rise of online fraud, it’s also important to keep your money safe and make sure your purchases are legitimate.
Around 86% of Brits say they’ve seen ads from ‘unfamiliar retailers with scam-related URLs’ this holiday, so we know these sites exist and are ramping up ahead of the sales season.
Research by McAfee has revealed this year’s top scammers’ tactics to trick shoppers, with top brands being impersonated with fake ads, copycat storefronts and fake URLs in an attempt to fool distracted browsers.
Most fake brands
Most commonly, the imitated brands are those you trust and those popular around the holidays – high demand, limited edition items, luxury brands and popular technology.
The fake websites created by scammers will appear legitimate and trick many shoppers into entering their payment information.
Criminals will focus on the brands they know people love and (crucially) are willing to pay high prices for. For luxury brands, this means that the five most imitated brands are Coach, Dior, Ralph Lauren, Rolex and Gucci.
Scam URLs around other brands are also emerging, with consumer brands such as Apple, Nintendo, Samsung, Disney and Steam standing out as particular targets for criminals. Huge demand for new products like Switch 2 and new phones or tablets from Samsung and Apple.
If it seems like you’re seeing these more often than before, you’re not alone. Almost one in five (19%) admit to falling for a scam at least once this season, but 29% of us think we can spot them when they pop up.
AI risk
What is different this year is the rise of AI. You can no longer trust pictures, videos or reviews, and 58% of us are more worried this year than last year.
“Fraudsters have always taken advantage of the holiday rush to exploit people looking for deals, but artificial intelligence has made it easier for them to copy trusted brands with speed and accuracy that is hard to spot,” said Vonny Gamot, Head of EMEA at McAfee.
“From fraudulent websites and fake products to persuasive emails and texts designed to draw people in, scammers today are using AI to create some of the most believable social-engineering tricks we’ve ever seen. The best protection is to slow down and verify what you’re seeing.”
Protect yourself against these scams by double-checking the URL, re-searching the site in a separate tab when in doubt, and going directly to a dealer’s site instead of going through an ad — and remember, if a deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Package problems
Unfortunately, the scams don’t stop there. Even if you ordered something from a legitimate site, you might still be in danger. Research from NetVoucherCodes shows that UK couriers expect 1.29 billion parcels – so there are plenty of options.
Parcel fraud is one of the easiest ways for criminals to defraud shoppers. This time of year, with the popularity of online shopping, pretty much everyone will have a package arrive at one time or another. Criminals know this and will prey on that expectation.
You’ve probably already received a ‘missed delivery’, ‘phantom parcel’ or ‘incomplete address’ scam – but when you’re actually expecting a package, it’s pretty easy to fall for it. Remember that real couriers will not ask you to pay a fee via SMS to receive your package and you can always contact your dealer for help.
The easiest way to avoid these scams is to never click on the links sent in these texts or emails, double check the sender and note the tracking number that was originally sent – track your package through the legitimate website with that number.
Unfortunately, the answer to staying safe is just being vigilant and knowing the tricks these scammers use. Don’t put in your card details until you’re sure the site is legitimate, and be extra careful with your personal information around this time of year.
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