The 12 Scams of Christmas - Slide 2
|
 |
|
With Apple products topping most shopping lists this holiday season, scammers are busy distributing bogus offers for free iPads. McAfee Labs found that in the spam version of the scam, consumers are asked to purchase other products and provide their credit card number to get the free iPad. Of course, victims never receive the iPad or the other items, just the headache of reporting a stolen credit card number.
In the social media version of the scam, users take a quiz to win a free iPad and must supply their cell phone number to receive the results. In actuality, they are signed up for a cell phone scam that costs $10 a week.
Consumers would be wise to beware of the most common scams of the season before heading online to book travel and do holiday shopping. McAfee (NYSE: MFE) has revealed the “Twelve Scams of Christmas” – the 12 most dangerous online scams that computer users should be cautious of this holiday season.
“Scams continue to be big business for cybercriminals who have their sights set on capitalizing on open hearts and wallets this holiday season,” said Dave Marcus, director of security research for McAfee Labs. “As people jump online to look for deals on gifts and travel, it’s important to recognize common scams to safeguard against theft during the busy season ahead.”
McAfee advises Internet users to follow these five tips to protect their computers and personal information:
- Stick to well-established and trusted sites that include trust marks (icons or seals from third parties verifying that the sites are safe), user reviews and customer support. A reputable trust mark provider will have a live link attached to its trust mark icon, which will take visitors to a verification website of the trust mark provider.
- Do not respond to offers that arrive in a spam e-mail, texts or instant messages.
- Preview a link’s Web address before you click on it to make sure it is going to an established site. Never download or click anything from an unknown source.
- Stay away from vendors that offer prices well below the norm. Don’t believe anything that’s too good to be true.
- Make sure to use trusted Wi-Fi networks. Don’t check bank accounts or shop online if you’re not sure the network is safe.
More Slideshows:
Getting the Most from Project Staff Get project staff on track quickly with these tips from Robert Half Technology.
Top 10 Tips for Getting the Most out of Windows 7 Libraries Learn how you can get the most from Windows 7 Libraries.
Top 10 Strategic Technologies for 2011 Gartner highlights the top 10 technologies and trends that will be strategic for most organizations in 2011.
Related Topics : Anti-Virus Solutions, DoS Attacks
How the Gig Economy Is Changing the Tech Industry
The gig economy is clearly disrupting the tech industry, both in positive and negative ways. ... More >>
10 Reasons Why the Enterprise Is Turning to Hyperconverged Infrastructure
While HCI is certainly innovative in design, its true measure lies in the practical benefits it brings to data center management and operations. ... More >>
IIoT Gaining Momentum in Adoption and Results
Cost reduction has been the main driver of IIoT adoption. Other contributors are the emergence of ancillary and complementary technologies, including low-power hardware devices, the cloud, Big Data analytics, robotics and automation and smart sensors. ... More >>