How to stay safe while shopping for last-minute holiday gifts

There are only a few days left until Santa Claus sets off on his annual journey. If you haven’t started shopping yet, now is the time.

But try not to panic, and don’t click before you think. Scammers and other online misers want to take advantage of your haste and trick you into falling for fake deals and other shopping-related scams.

The big jump in online purchasing combined with countless busy and distracted shoppers is what makes this time of year so tempting for scammers, says Darius Kingsley, head of Chase’s consumer banking practice.

“A lot of us are cautious all year long, at least to some extent,” Kingsley said. “Then it’s late November and you’ve just started your holiday shopping, so you panic. It’s kind of one of those typical feelings, but it clouds your judgment a little bit.”

Online holiday sales this year are expected to set records. Adobe projects Online sales in the United States are expected to reach $240.8 billion this holiday shopping season, representing 8.4% growth compared to the same period last year.

They got off to a good start over the weekend. Adobe says online sales for this year’s Cyber ​​Week, the five-day period that includes Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber ​​Monday, were $41.1 billion, representing an 8.2% increase over the same period last year.

Like some shoppers, many scammers are starting to show up early for their vacation activities this year. In its holiday threat report, published in November, Visa noted that the number of fake and fraudulent merchant sites its researchers discovered over the past four months was nearly three times what it was in the four months before that.

Visa has also seen increases in other types of malicious activity including phishing and social engineering scams, along with fraud related to holiday travel and seasonal jobs, said James Mervyn, the company’s senior vice president and global head of risk and identity solutions.

Meanwhile, generative AI tools make it faster and easier for cybercriminals to craft custom scams, allowing them to impersonate voices and create fake videos that make their scams more convincing. Needless to say, gone are the days of poorly written phishing emails that would raise the suspicions of even the least tech-savvy consumers.

“These things start to look like they’re coming from your bank or someone you trust,” Mervyn said.

Mike Price, chief technology officer at ZeroFox, also pointed to the emergence of tools like ChatGPT and other large language models as the latest game changer in the world of online scams. He noted that in addition to fake voices and videos, these types of tools allow criminals to create realistic images of anything you can imagine, simply by entering a text message.

“It wasn’t really possible until the last couple of years and it didn’t really mature until this year,” Price said. “Platforms have come a long way in the last couple of months.”

This may seem daunting. But some basic precautions will help keep you safe from the Krampuses of the online world. Here are some expert recommendations on how to shop safely during the holidays.

Check your list (and credit card and bank information) more than twice

Monitor your bank accounts and credit cards. It is good not only for security but also for tracking your spending.

Mervyn said shoppers should set up purchase alerts on their accounts and monitor their data closely, especially during this time of year.

You can make this task easier by limiting your holiday shopping to one credit card and one email address. Doing so will also reduce the risk of falling for a phishing scam if one reaches your other email accounts.

If you notice anything incorrect, log into your account directly through your bank’s app or website, or call the number on the back of your card. Do not click on links in emails.

Do not pay for your purchase with Cryptocurrency. By design, cryptocurrencies are designed to be anonymous and very difficult to trace. If someone had stolen it, it would probably be gone.

Payment requests with retail Gift cards It should also be viewed with suspicion. It is also untraceable and cybercriminals can easily convert it into cash or goods.

Don’t be a feast for scammers

Spam, fraudulent emails, texts, and other types of messages are common throughout the year, but they really pile up this time of year. It may look like a fraud alert from your bank or a great deal on that must-have item.

The risk is that shoppers might click on a link in a malicious email that would take them to a fake website that would then collect their personal or financial information, putting them at risk of financial fraud or identity theft.

Major email providers do their best to keep fraudulent emails out of your inbox, but some inevitably bypass their defenses, ZeroFox’s Price said. It can’t do much to stop people from clicking on things they think are legitimate.

Fake order scams, where a consumer receives a text or email claiming they purchased some type of expensive item they actually didn’t, have been on the rise this year, said Scott Knapp, Amazon’s vice president of risk prevention for buyers worldwide. . Some claim there’s a delivery issue, while others are now promoting fake “special” deals for Amazon Prime members.

When it comes to phishing emails mentioning Amazon, Knapp says the best thing people can do is go back to the company’s website or app. If there is a problem with an order, or the company needs to contact you, this information will be in your message center.

Read more: Best Identity Theft Protection Services of 2024

Is this Santa? Or just a Grinch in disguise?

Sure, you can Google it if the major retailers don’t have what you want in stock, but make sure you’re dealing with a legitimate company. Be especially suspicious of ads that appear in your social media feeds touting amazing limited-time offers.

When in doubt about the authenticity of any offer, message or retailer, the advice is the same.

“Customers should be skeptical,” Knapp said. “It’s the old adage, ‘If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.’ Stay away from it.”

It’s always best to shop on popular retailers’ websites, but if you’re going with what appears to be a discount site or even a small business, you need to check it out first. Look for reviews online and check complaints with groups like the Better Business Bureau, Price said.

Even if you do your homework, you should be prepared for the possibility of losing your money to a scammer, he said. If you’re not okay with that, you’re better off paying more elsewhere.

Be selective when it comes to gift cards

Some people are hard to shop for, especially if you’re running out of time, which might tempt you to buy them a gift card. But experts say cybercriminals are also looking to take advantage of these cards before their recipients even get a chance to use them.

Although digital gift cards are ideal, never buy them from a third-party site, even if they offer them at a deep discount, Chase Kingsley advised. There is no guarantee that they will actually arrive. Even if it appears in the mail, it may turn out to be expired or used.

Although it can be difficult to wrap them up and place them under a tree, it’s best to purchase digital gift cards directly from the company that issued them, or from a major retailer. If you really want a physical card, look for one with an intact cover, preferably behind the store counter.

The Elf on the Shelf may not be the only one watching

Basic cybersecurity precautions, which you should take year-round, are essential if you want to avoid visiting the electronic Grinch.

Make sure your devices and online accounts — bank, credit cards, email, social media, logins to shopping sites, etc. — are locked before you start shopping. Update your operating systems, Antivirus Software and all your applications.

All your online accounts need Strong and unique passwords. If you need help, use Password manager. Pass keys They are becoming increasingly available and can make things easier. Two-factor authenticationwhich requires a second identifier such as biometrics or a push notification sent to your phone, should always be enabled when available.

If you’re concerned about free internet security at your local store, consider signing up for Virtual private network. The good ones will hide your location, as well as encrypt the data you send and receive over that Wi-Fi network.

You can also use the cellular connection on your smartphone. It’s more secure than any Wi-Fi connection out there.