FraudNews
11-21-2010, 06:14 AM
Leading internet security company McAfee has listed twelve scams to watch out for during this season of festivity.
Christmas and Holiday season is a time that would see online shopping malls bustling with activities with bargain hunters doing their best to get value for money. Unfortunately, this is also the time that scammers and online con artists would get busy as well trying to exploit the season and make some quick money.
Dave Marcus, director of security research for McAfee Lab said “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.”
Top of the list is iPad offers scam. Apple is a product in demand and many of their gadgets have captured the public's imagination. It is thus no surprise that scammers may target one of Apple's most popular products that is sure to be in high demand during this festive season. Public needs to watch out for iPad offers that are bogus, including but not limited to free iPads, with the aim of capturing credit card details of the unsuspecting consumers.
McAfee also warns about the “Help! I’ve Been Robbed” Scam, which seems to be on the increase in the recent times. This is typically a travel scam where fake SOS messages are sent to friends and family members, requesting money to be sent so as to enable the return trip back.
Fake Gift Cards is also listed as another scam that may be in full swing during the season. McAfee warns that cyber criminals may use the advantage of social networks to promote fake gift card offers with the objective of not only money but information as well. They also cite a recent Facebook scam where a “free $1,000 Best Buy gift card” was offered the first 20,000 people who signed up for a Best Buy fan page. Facebook has in the recent times taken necessary actions to deal with such gift card scams, but the holiday season may provide a challenge to social networks for dealing with such scams.
Source: McAfee For a list of all scams listed by McAfee and their details, please see their full press release by McAfee (http://newsroom.mcafee.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=3707)
Christmas and Holiday season is a time that would see online shopping malls bustling with activities with bargain hunters doing their best to get value for money. Unfortunately, this is also the time that scammers and online con artists would get busy as well trying to exploit the season and make some quick money.
Dave Marcus, director of security research for McAfee Lab said “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.”
Top of the list is iPad offers scam. Apple is a product in demand and many of their gadgets have captured the public's imagination. It is thus no surprise that scammers may target one of Apple's most popular products that is sure to be in high demand during this festive season. Public needs to watch out for iPad offers that are bogus, including but not limited to free iPads, with the aim of capturing credit card details of the unsuspecting consumers.
McAfee also warns about the “Help! I’ve Been Robbed” Scam, which seems to be on the increase in the recent times. This is typically a travel scam where fake SOS messages are sent to friends and family members, requesting money to be sent so as to enable the return trip back.
Fake Gift Cards is also listed as another scam that may be in full swing during the season. McAfee warns that cyber criminals may use the advantage of social networks to promote fake gift card offers with the objective of not only money but information as well. They also cite a recent Facebook scam where a “free $1,000 Best Buy gift card” was offered the first 20,000 people who signed up for a Best Buy fan page. Facebook has in the recent times taken necessary actions to deal with such gift card scams, but the holiday season may provide a challenge to social networks for dealing with such scams.
Source: McAfee For a list of all scams listed by McAfee and their details, please see their full press release by McAfee (http://newsroom.mcafee.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=3707)