With the holidays fast approaching and amidst all the excitement around this special time of year – phishing and cyber scams are on the rise again – as is the case every year.

As Christmas comes closer, more and more fake websites pop up on the internet with the sole intent of scamming customers and taking their hard-earned money. Or even worse, sometimes stealing your credit card and personal information.

A phishing scam is one of the most well-known scams on the internet.

These scams usually involve a fake email or website claiming to offer you money if you provide certain information. And during the holiday season, these scams take tend to evolve and are often better disguised.

If you shop online, chances are that you’ve probably stumbled upon dodgy sites or pop-ups.

In this article, we will explain what a Christmas phishing scam is, how they work, how to avoid them, and how to protect yourself, your money, and your information.

What Is a Christmas Phishing Scam?

A Christmas phishing scam is an internet scam designed by fraudsters who are actively trying to steal your personal information. This can include anything from your e-mail address to credit card details.

From there, the scammers can access your funds and steal money from you without your consent.

These scams have taken on many forms over the years and recently they have gotten more and more creative and difficult to spot.

These cyber scams usually start with an enticing webpage or colourful email.

The content of the site or email usually talks about something too good to be true, like access to money, get-rich-quick schemes, or ridiculous rates on products and services.

Usually, your email provider will automatically send fraudulent emails to the trash.

However, modern scammers disguise their emails and websites as holiday-themed cards or letters designed to attract your attention. It can be hard to figure out which emails are scams and which aren’t, and falling for them can have serious consequences.

You need to avoid such e-mails as much as possible. They are designed to entice you into giving away all of your information. And the worst thing about them – you’ll think that you’re getting a good deal when in actual fact you’re just exposing yourself to the risk of getting scammed.

How to Avoid a Christmas a Phishing Scam

Christmas phishing scams aren’t that different from normal phishing scams. The only difference is that these scams pop up during the holiday season. They can still be found in your e-mail and when you’re browsing the internet.

To keep you and your information safe, here are a couple of crucial tips when it comes to avoiding holiday scams and online identity theft.

Learn How To Spot and Detect Scams

The first and arguably the best way to avoid the popular Christmas scams is to know when you see one. Learning the tell-tale signs of a phishing scam is key to avoiding them. Once you receive an email or log on to a website, there are certain things to keep an eye on that will tell you if it’s a holiday scam or not.

The hard part with holiday scams is that they can be very cryptic and some people won’t know it’s a scam before it’s too late.

So, when you receive a sketchy email that says you can claim a holiday bonus or a deal that is way too good to be true, always approach it with the utmost caution.

Scammers get better by the year, so if you don’t pay attention, you might end up getting scammed and becoming a victim of online identity theft.

Use Security Software

Security software is a key way to protect yourself – especially if you aren’t so tech-savvy. If you were deceived by any of these complex scams, good security software can help you to a certain extent.

You can utilize a bunch of different security software for your computer to protect you such as setting up a firewall, or a good antivirus to stop and warn you when you try and download malicious software.

Additionally, security software needs to be regularly updated. Viruses and online holiday scams change regularly as scammers find more complex ways to deceive their victims and plant viruses in their computers. So, always get the most up-to-date security system.

If you’re trying to protect your workplace from phishing scams, viruses, and other IT problems, you could also outsource your IT solutions to a company that can handle all of your cyber security needs

Automatically Update Mobile Software

With many people having access to their banking information, credit card information, and online shopping apps on their phones, holiday scammers have started to attack internet users through their mobile phones.

These could be in the form of traditional phishing scams, where you have to manually input your credit card credentials and payment details, or in the form of more complex scam emails, which implant a virus into your device.

If you keep your mobile software up to date, there’s a lesser chance of these viruses infiltrating the system, keeping you safe during the holiday season.

Use Multi-Factor Identification

To further protect yourself from identity theft online, make sure to use multi-factor identification.

That way, you can protect your account with an added layer of security. If you use multi-factor identification, scammers will need more than your credit card credentials or log-in details to gain access to your bank account.

There are different ways multi-factor identification works. Sometimes, it involves receiving a one-time password (OTP) on your phone, or it could involve biometrics such as scanning your fingerprint or face. If your bank, email provider, and any online service you’re subscribed to offers this feature, make sure to sign up for it.

Additionally, make sure all your accounts have strong passwords and can’t be hacked easily.

How to Spot a Phishing Scam

The best way to avoid phishing scams is to spot them before they do any damage. The other tips in this guide are also very important, but none of them are as crucial as identifying phishing emails from the get-go.

Scammers find different ways to steal your credit information every day. So, make sure to practice extra vigilance.

The following tips are what you can use to differentiate legitimate online retailers from malicious scams and emails on the internet.

Confirm With the Company

If you’ve recently given your e-mail address to a company or a well-known charity and all of a sudden you receive an e-mail address with an offer, Christmas bonus, Christmas e-cards, or anything else out of the blue, make sure to confirm with the company before responding.

There are many phishing emails that use an e-mail address that seem like a legitimate company.

So, in the event you receive any of these emails, try contacting the company first to see if they actually sent out these emails.

Remember, this is only for websites or companies with whom you shared your email information.

Usually, if you receive an email from a website or company to whom you never shared information, it’s probably a scam, especially if your email address isn’t public on your social media profiles.

Demanding Urgent Action

One of the best ways to spot phishing emails is the content of the mail itself. If you notice that the email contains demands for urgent action such as “SEND MONEY NOW”, “YOU CAN’T MISS OUT!”, or anything along those lines, you might want to stay away from it. It’s one of the big red flags.

This is because phishing emails try to entice people to give out their personal data long before they realize it’s a scam, which is why they demand immediate action.

Grammar

A lot of the time, the grammar of the email can indicate whether or not it’s a scam. Christmas phishing scams are generally written poorly.

This doesn’t mean the content is bad, but it could mean that the grammar and spelling are slightly off.

The content is usually very engaging but riddled with tiny and intentional mistakes. This is because people who don’t mind grammatical errors are more likely to fall for these types of scams.

So, if you find grammatical errors in a sales email out there, stay aware. This could possibly be a phishing scam designed to deceive innocent people during the Christmas season.

Attachments

If the emails or messages have any attachments to them, do not download them. These ambiguous attachments are likely viruses meant to steal your passwords and other information you have saved on your computer.

It could also be ransomware that locks you out of your computer in which case the fraudsters will likely start demanding payment before they let you use your computer.

Is It Too Good To Be True?

If the email is offering something too good to be true, it probably is. If you stumble across ridiculous gift cards, free holiday vacations, or get rich quick schemes on the internet, always ask yourself how this could be possible. And if you can’t figure it out, chances are it’s just another one of those scams.

Conclusion

Christmas phishing scams and holiday email scams are likely to increase as we approach the end of the year. So, make sure to be extra vigilant and really double-check if emails and websites are legitimate before sharing any valuable information with them.

Remember, if a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is and it’s best to stay away from the “deal” at all costs before you fall victim to any fraudulent criminals disguised as genuine companies.