Bitdefender, the global leader in cybersecurity, has released the results of spam campaigns and phishing scams targeting last-minute shoppers ahead of Christmas. The research analyzed global spam volumes from November 27 to December 12.
While the holiday season brings families and friends together to spend peaceful moments together, for hackers Christmas is above all one more opportunity to catch people by surprise and take possession of their money and data. In fact, tens of thousands of Christmas-themed spam emails have infiltrated users’ inboxes over the past 15 days.
Research highlights:
•The volume of Christmas-themed spam has steadily increased since November 27, with peaks observed between December 6 and 9.
• 71% of all Christmas-themed spam between November 27 and December 12 was scams.
•31% of all Christmas spam emails (by volume) reached users’ mailboxes in the US, 24% in Ireland, followed by France, Sweden and Denmark at 7%.
•Cybercriminals have activated an ingenious “letters to Santa” campaign to steal login credentials and credit card information. This campaign invites parents to provide personal and credit card information so that their children receive a special package containing an “official” wish list certification and a signed letter from Santa.
• Observed scams focus on delivering bogus deals, gift cards and sweepstakes to steal shopper data, including credit card information, leveraging the popularity of well-known brands such as Netflix.
•Netflix scam involves rewarding the user with a limited offer of $90 while shopping at home.
Bitdefender recommendations:
•Never fill out online surveys for gift cards and other products that ask for credit card information or other sensitive information.
• Do not click on links contained in unsolicited emails or messages on social networks that offer unmissable deals or exclusive access to offers
•Make your Christmas shopping on known websites
•Never install software from unknown sources advertised in spam emails
•Use a reliable security solution that can protect against malware and block phishing and malicious websites.
In general, Bitdefender advises end users to apply best practices regarding passwords, sharing credentials, visiting websites. Security must include prevention (antivirus), privacy (VPN), and identity protection on computers and mobile devices.