The 12 Scams of Christmas
Watch Out for the The Twelve Scams of Christmas
Cybercriminals use the holiday season aiming to steal money, identities and financial information
James Limbach
ConsumerAffairs.com
November 16, 2010
Holiday Shopping
With Black Friday and Cyber Monday just around the corner, consumers are urged to beware of the most commons scams of the season.
To help you do that, McAfee, the Internet security firm, is revealing its "Twelve Scams of Christmas" -- the 12 most dangerous online scams that computer users should be cautious of this holiday season.
"Scams continue to be big business for cybercriminals who have their sights set on capitalizing on open hearts and wallets this holiday season," said Dave Marcus, director of security research for McAfee Labs. "As people jump online to look for deals on gifts and travel, it's important to recognize common scams to safeguard against theft during the busy season ahead."
Here, then, are McAfees's Twelve Scams of Christmas:
1) iPad offer scams
With Apple products topping most shopping lists this holiday season, scammers are busy distributing bogus offers for free iPads. McAfee Labs found that in the spam version of the scam, consumers are asked to purchase other products and provide their credit card number to get the free iPad. Of course, victims never receive the iPad or the other items -- just the headache of reporting a stolen credit card number.
In the social media version of the scam, users take a quiz to win a free iPad and must supply their cell phone number to receive the results. In actuality they are signed up for a cell phone scam that costs $10 a week.
2) 'Help! I've been robbed' scam
This travel scam sends phony distress messages to family and friends requesting that money be wired or transferred so that they can get home. McAfee Labs says there's been an increase in this scam and predicts its rise during the busy travel season.
3) Fake gift cards
Cybercrooks use social media to promote fake gift card offers with the goal of stealing consumers' information and money, which is then sold to marketers or used for ID theft.
One recent Facebook scam offered a "free $1,000 Best Buy gift card" to the first 20,000 people who signed up for a Best Buy fan page, which was a look-a-like. To apply for the gift card they had to provide personal information and take a series of quizzes.
4) Holiday job offers
As people seek extra cash for gifts this holiday season, Twitter scams offer dangerous links to high-paying, work-at-home jobs that ask for your personal information, such as your email address, home address and Social Security number to apply for the fake job.
5) 'Smishing'
Cybercrooks are now "smishing," or sending phishing SMS texts. These texts appear to come from your bank or an online retailer saying that there is something wrong with an account and you have to call a number to verify your account information. In reality, these efforts are merely a ruse to extract valuable personal information from the targets.
Cybercrooks know that people are more vulnerable to this scam during the holiday season when consumers are doing more online shopping and checking bank balances frequently.
6) Suspicious holiday rentals
During peak travel times when consumers often look online for affordable holiday rentals, cybercrooks post fake holiday rental sites that ask for down payments on properties by credit card or wire transfer.
7) Recession scams continue
Scammers target vulnerable consumers with recession related scams such as pay-in-advance credit schemes. McAfee Labs has seen a significant number of spam emails advertising pre-qualified, low-interest loans and credit cards if the recipient pays a processing fee, which goes directly into the scammer's pocket.
8) Grinch-like greetings
E-cards are a convenient and earth-friendly way to send greetings to friends and family, but cybercriminals load fake versions with links to computer viruses and other malware instead of cheer. According to McAfee Labs, computers may start displaying obscene images, pop-up ads, or even start sending cards to contacts that appear to come from you.
9) Low price traps
Shoppers should be cautious of products offered at prices far below competitors. Cyber scammers use auction sites and fake websites to offer too-good-to-be-true deals with the goal of stealing your money and information.
10) Charity scams
The holidays have historically been a prime time for charity scams since it's a traditional time for giving, and this year is likely to be no exception. Common ploys include phone calls and spam e-mails asking you to donate to veterans' charities, children's causes and relief funds for the latest catastrophe.
11) Dangerous holiday downloads
Holiday-themed screensavers, jingles and animations are an easy way for scammers to spread viruses and other computer threats especially when links come from an email or IM that appears to be from a friend.
12) Hotel and airport wi-fi
During the holidays many people travel and use free wi-fi in places like hotels and airports. This is a tempting time for thieves to hack into networks hoping to find opportunities for theft.
McAfee advises Internet users to follow these five tips to protect their computers and personal information:
Stick to well-established and trusted sites that include trust marks (icons or seals from third parties verifying that the site is safe), user reviews and customer support. A reputable trust mark provider will have a live link attached to its trust mark icon, which will take visitors to a verification Web site of the trust mark provider.
Do not respond to offers that arrive in a spam email, text or instant message.
Preview a link's web address before you click on it to make sure it is going to an established site. Never download or click anything from an unknown source.
Stay away from vendors that offer prices well below the norm. Don't believe anything that sounds too good to be true.
Make sure to use trusted wi-fi networks. Don't check bank accounts or shop online if you're not sure the network is safe.
Read more: http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2010/11/watch-out-for-the-the-twelve-scams-of-christmas.html
Top Scams of 2009 things to Avoid in 2010
I hope that none of you fell victim to a scam this year, but every time we turn around, there is a new scam to watch out for. There are the oldies, like bogus lotteries and work-at-home rip offs, and new ones related to H1N1. This one directed email openers to a site claiming to be the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to fill out a personal vaccination profile. This wouldnt prevent you from getting h1N1, but it probably would give you another type of virus. Oh yes and dont forget the 1.7 Million dollars that was left for you from an African Prince.
To avoid scams, anytime you receive an email from someone you arent familiar with, I would suggest you avoid the provided link or even delete it. If you think there is something of value on that link, I would instead research and verify the link first.
Here is a list provided by the Better Business Bureau of the top 10 scams of 2009.
1. Work-at-home schemes: If they ask for money up front, be on alert. Also use caution before giving out personal information.
2. Bogus credit counseling offers: These services offer to help you lower you interest rates on yur credit cards, if you pay them their fees up front. If you need legitimate advice, please go to your closest nonprofit credit counseling agency.
3. Lottery scams: If you didnt enter it yourself, you probably didnt win it. And if you did win, you dont have to pay upfront to collect.
4. Vacation scams: If it is free, why do they need your credit card number?
5. Advance-fee loans: Most lenders include any fees in the balance of your loan, so beware of those asking for fees up front. You may end up giving them money, instead of them loaning it to you.
6. Identity theft: A lot of these types of scams begin with an invitation supposedly through Facebook, MySpace, or some other social media site. If you really want to confirm a friend, login to the actual site to confirm. Also, do not post too much personal information on your profile.
7. Home repair rip-offs: This is one of the oldest around, going back farther than the internet, but it is still on the top ten list. If someone comes to your door with an offer to fix everything for a low price, it is probably too low. They usually take your money, and do little to none of the work. If you are considering hiring someone to do repairs on your house, ask them for copies of licenses, insurance, and a contract. Also be sure to get names and numbers of previous customers and do not be afraid to call them.
8. Spoofing attacks: Im sure youve seen the emails that claim to be your bank and ask for your personal information or to download some software. Dont click on these links. Financial institutions never solicit for private information via email.
9. Check-overpayment schemes: if youve tried selling on auction sites, you have probably seen this one. Someone wants to purchase your item and needs to send you a check for more than what the price is. They ask you to send them a refund for the remainder. What happens is this, you deposit the check in your account, send them the money for the overpayment, then their check is returned, and you are out lots of money.
10. Prizes with a catch: How can you win a prize that you didnt enter to win? And why do you have to pay to claim it? Be careful, you may be paying for a prize you dont want.
If you think you have been a victim of a scam, please contact the Better Business Bureau at www.bbb.org. If you think you have been victim of a virus, please contact Kotori Technologies. And if you would like to eliminate spam emails, please check out or email solutions.
And remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.