Be aware of these 5 Scams this Holiday Season

Hackers, scammers and cybercriminals love the holiday season because it gives them the chance to take advantage of the crazy holiday shopping and make a nice profit out of unknowing shoppers.

By using phishing scams, online scammers take advantage of the fact that your email inbox is so full of holiday specials and offers that you won’t think twice before clicking on a malicious link.

Here are 5 scams to keep an eye out for this holiday season…

Receipts and invoices. A lot of people do their shopping online these days and during the holiday season, there is a huge increase in online receipts and invoices that shoppers will receive via email. Scammers will hide malicious code in an attachment or link and shoppers won’t think twice when clicking on an attachment that’s apparently from Amazon!

Shipping status. Just like the fake receipts and invoices, fake shipping status alerts are a great way for scammers to trick shoppers into thinking there is a problem with their package or order. A notice from a legitimate-looking email to someone who is actually waiting for a delivery is bound to trick them into clicking on it.

Flyers and deals. The average user sees maybe a dozen or more special offers and deals during the holiday season. While going through emails, shoppers need to be on the lookout for discounts and offers from stores they have never shopped at before. It might be a great deal, but there’s a chance that clicking on it will only lead to a malware infection.

Malicious links. Malicious links are just as popular as malicious attachments, so always think twice before clinking on just any link in an email you receive. Hover your mouse over the link and if it is completely different the hyperlink included. In reality, the link is probably going to end up in malware or a fake website that’ll steal your private data.

Customer surveys. Scammers love to fake customer surveys that offer shoppers rewards such as gift cards or discounts after completing them. The difference between an actual survey and a fake one is easy to spot when you get to the last questions. A cybercriminal will often end up asking for your personal and financial information if so it’s definitely a scam!

Talk to your IT support provider to ensure your computer has the correct security measures in place as well as all the latest updates! Want to find out more about protecting your business or home from online scammers? Contact TCG Forensics on 021 110 0422 or pop an email to info@tcgforensics.co.za

What is an online charity scam?

Social media sites such as Facebook have a range of scams, one of the most recent being fake fundraising campaigns!

The scammers will make an emotional post, provide their banking details and add a couple of sad comments as well. The post will usually be a plea for help for a terminally ill child or to help an animal rescue organization.

New scamming groups appear every month, each with similar details and posts and even though they are shut down on a regular basis, people still fall for the scam and pay money to the scammers anyway.

How can you spot an online charity scam?

Age of the group. The fake charity group will only be a few weeks old and contain barely any posts, but they have been shared and reposted thousands of times. This is usually the first signs that the charity is a scam! A real organization or charity will take a long period of time to become established and there will be multiple posts as well as more information about the cause.

Pressure to feel pity. Using shocking videos and photos as well as lots of capitalized letters and exclamation points will pressurize you into acting quickly and spontaneously. A real charity will never resort to using these measures, because they are there to build relationships, on the other hand, scammers just want to raise money for themselves.

No supporting documentation. Scammer groups will have little to no medical reports or records to prove their cause or charity organization. And if they do have the documentation you should always read through it thoroughly to make sure the details are the same as the assistance they are asking for.

Responding to questions. It is not uncommon for people who are concerned about someone’s health or wellbeing to ask the people who created the group for information about the cause as well as updates on the situation. If the group is a scam these questions will be ignored, deleted or the user will be banned.

Websites. Sometimes links to a legitimate website for the charity or cause are posted in the group, this is how scammers will trick you into trusting them. This is to prove their legitimacy by showing they have a website presence. The website it links to often looks real, but be wary of inputting any of your personal information. Real charity foundations will always post how they spend the money they have collected, if not, you cannot trust that organization.

The desire to help others is great, but it is best to always stop and think first instead of acting impulsively.

For assistance and more information about online scams, please contact OSINT on 021 110 0422 or email contact@osint.co.za

4 Scams in South Africa that are on the Rise

It is vital that you do not fall into an online scammers trap, especially recently as online scams have been on the rise in South Africa.

Here are the most common signs of these four popular online scams that you need to be aware of in order to not become the next victim.

Online Goods. Scammers love to target those who are selling valuables online. They may tell you that they want to meet and pick up the goods and pay via EFT. Either they will reverse the transfer once they have received the goods or they will send you fake proof of payment.

Always meet in a safe, public environment and rather accept payments in cash only.

Account Information. If you receive an email or SMS from your bank claiming that your account number or information has been changed, be very wary! A lot of people fall for this and end up paying a scammer for absolutely nothing, believing that it is a legitimate message from their bank.

If you receive messages like this, rather contact your bank to double-check that it is real.

Phone Blocking. Similar to other scams where you unknowingly give out your private information, a scammer will block your phone so you cannot see that they are withdrawing your money. This means you can’t take the correct steps to stop the scam because you do not realise it is happening.

Fake Loans. If you apply for a loan online be aware of fake companies. They are easy to spot because they will approve your loan, regardless of the amount you request, however, there will be an initiation fee to get the loan.

Do not ever pay a fee in order to receive a loan!

Have you been the victim of a scam? Please contact our OSINT (Open-Source Intelligence) department on 021 110 0422 or email contact@osint.co.za