Customers are warned to be wary of scams appearing over the Black Friday sale, as online retail experiences a perk before Christmas.
Phishing is not a new scam, but whilst sale discounts fill our inboxes, shoppers can be easily mistaken by fraudulent emails or text messages purporting to be from well-known brands.
The rise of fake discount sites can steal sensitive data from shoppers through social engineering tactics.
Yegor Sak, CEO of Control D says, scammers use phishing to “attempt to deceive individuals to steal “passwords, credit card numbers, or personal details”.
As phishing and the cybercrime landscape has evolved, attackers are now using “more sophisticated methods, including personalised phishing (spear phishing) to trick individuals into sharing personal information or transferring money”.
Businesses are also concerned about the impact financial crimes could have on consumer trust and their reputations.
“Phishing works because it plays on human emotions, such as fear, curiosity, or urgency, and often leverages trust in well-known organizations” he states.
It is important to stay vigilant and protect yourself from being a victim of these attacks by checking to see if the sender’s email address is slightly altered, the message includes generic greetings or drives urgency to click links in the message.
“Hover over any links to ensure they direct you to legitimate sites, avoid clicking on unexpected attachments, and look out for misspellings or grammatical errors. Generally, legitimate companies won’t ask for sensitive information via email, so verify any such requests. Ensure websites have a proper domain and HTTPS encryption, and always compare the tone and design of the message to previous communications from the company for consistency.”
