Are You Prepared for the Holiday Phishing Season?

With the holidays in full swing, WMS would like to make sure that you are prepared and are being extra vigilant when it comes to Phishing attempts this holiday season.

With more consumers opting to conduct their holiday purchases online, this presents the perfect opportunity for bad actors to try and slip a phishing attempt into your email.

What is Phishing?

Phishing is a form of social engineering where a target is contacted through email messages, by cybercriminals impersonating a legitimate person or organization to ask for victims’ sensitive data (i.e., personally identifiable information (PII), banking and credit card details, passwords, etc.), steal credentials and/or deliver malware.

What kind of Phishing scams can you expect to see this holiday season?

Phishing attempts come in all kinds of forms and can wreak havoc for their victims. When it comes to the holiday season, here are some of the most common Phishing scams to be on the lookout for:

1. Fake Shipping Notifications

These scams take advantage of the increase in online purchasing to trick victims into thinking the email they have received regarding the tracking of a package is legitimate. These emails often contain malicious links and/or attachments disguised as a receipt with order confirmation details designed to infect your device with malware or trick you into providing sensitive information.

Tips to avoid this type of scam: Avoid opening any attachments from suspicious looking email addresses. Online stores generally have a standard email format for their service email accounts, for example:  Amazon Business uses the email address no-reply@amazon.com for their business-related email notifications. Malicious emails often will feature a generic email domain such as amazon123@gmail.com or zapposcustomercare@yahoo.com.

Do not click links leading to external pages. Most online stores will provide all your shipping details in the email body.

2. Charity Fraud

Bad actors and scammers will pose as a charity to trick their victims into donating to a charity that does not exist. This became such a frequent problem in the early days of the Coronavirus Pandemic the US Federal Trade Commission stepped in to warn the public scammers were in large taking advantage of the fears around the pandemic to solicit funds and steal personal information through online donation campaigns.

Tips to avoid this type of scam: Do your research before donating. Legitimate charities are registered and can be found with some simple online cross referencing and searches of online databases to prove they are legitimate.

3. Gift Card & Coupon Scams

One of the oldest and common phishing scams you will see around the holidays is the classic gift card and coupon scam. Scammers will often reach out to their victims through email claiming to have an amazing deal for them but inform them that they will need a gift card in order to claim the deal. This should be an immediate red flag.

Tips to avoid this type of scam: Be wary of any coupons or emails claiming to offer “amazing last second deals” or “claim your gift card here” promises. Never enter your personal information into these types of websites or emails.

4. Outstanding Balance & Fake Banking Charge Notifications

With a staggering amount of banking transactions taking place during the holiday season, bad actors will look to take advantage of this by passing off fake emails designed to panic their victims into thinking they missed making a payment or that someone has already compromised their bank account. These emails almost always contain a link pretending to be a payment portal or account login site in order to trick their victims into providing their account information and banking details.

Tips to avoid this type of scam: If you receive one of these types of scams, do not click on any links or open any attachments. Check with your bank to verify you have no outstanding payments or suspicious bank charges.

While these are some of the main Phishing scams that you can potentially expect to see this holiday season, they are most certainly not the only types of scams directed at individuals and businesses in an attempt to steal sensitive information.  Make sure you are staying alert and vigilant to prevent being a victim of Phishing this holiday season.

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