The holiday season is underway, and amidst the excitement of Black Friday sales, shoppers need to be vigilant about potential scams. Norton's 2023 Holiday Norton Cyber Safety Insights Report emphasizes the surge in cybercriminal activity during this busy shopping period. Iskander Sanchez-Rola, Norton's Director of Privacy Innovation, warns that shoppers often fall prey to scams while seeking discounts and making last-minute purchases. To combat this, he advises recognizing scams and remaining vigilant for suspicious activity in bank and credit card accounts.
Norton's report reveals that holiday shopping scams can cost consumers an average of $1,500. With over 55% of consumers concerned about falling victim to such scams and a drop in confidence in safe online shopping from 89% to 72%, awareness of warning signs becomes crucial. Cybercriminals predominantly target digital avenues, with social media platforms identified as the top choice. However, scams can also arrive through third-party websites, emails, texts, and phone calls.
Consumers should be wary of various scams during the holiday season, including online shopping scams, phishing scams, delivery notification scams, and gift card scams. Norton lists a total of 12 scams to watch out for, ranging from fake delivery notifications to investment scams and fake gift exchanges. To stay safe, Norton offers tips such as avoiding unrecognized retailers, checking website security (https), being cautious of deals that seem too good to be true, using a virtual private network (VPN), maintaining strong passwords, and employing device protection software.
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