COMMENT: Cybersecurity researchers urge caution as 17 million set to shop in this year’s Cyber Monday
November 2020 by David Emm, Principal security Researcher at Kaspersky
As Cyber Monday shopping sprees set to look even bigger than those of last weeks Black Friday festivities, cybersecurity expert, Kaspersky warns consumers once again to remain vigilent and cautious when it comes to big deals, and to investigate further if an offer seems to good to be true.
The comment from David Emm, principal security researcher at Kaspersky.
The risks of bargain hunting and impulse buying
“Sales events entice us with big discounts and this sort of temptation can be hard to resist. After a chaotic 12 months, it is understandable for consumers to do everything they can, not just to save money but also to fully enjoy the festive season. However, we are often bombarded with marketing communications, and it can be tough to recognise the fake ones. Kaspersky research shows that just a quarter (25%) of shoppers are aware scams are more prevalent during holiday and sales periods.
Online fraudsters and scammers are always trying to find ways to make us part with our personal information and cash. If we are not careful, our data, such as payment credentials and email addresses, could fall into the wrong hands. Finding out if a sender is genuine is one of the easiest ways to avoid being drawn into a sales scam. Being vigilant is key to successful sales shopping, by double checking the offers that are sent are legitimate and only making purchases with legitimate stores through secure payment methods, like credit cards.”