Cyber Monday Scams: 8 Tips To Avoid Them

by | November 29, 2021 | How to, ATTACK Simulator Guides

Amid Black Friday and Cyber Monday online shopping craze, cybercrooks are jumping on every opportunity they can get to steal your money.

This article will walk you through eight tips to help you avoid falling prey to Cyber Monday scams.

Cyber Monday Scams – What To Expect

“The few days after Thanksgiving offer holiday shoppers great savings opportunities, but be aware that con artists will be working very hard to deceive you out of your hard-earned money,” says Steve Bernas, president and CEO of the BBB (Better Business Bureau) serving Chicago and Northern Illinois.

Bernas went on to advise eager shoppers to be aware of malicious emails (phishing), misleading ads, fake websites, and “too-good-to-be-true prices.”

Tips To Protect Yourself Against Cyber Monday And Holiday Scams

The BBB recommends the following to help you stay safe when shopping online:

  • Be cautious of false ads and websites. If a retailer is selling the hottest product of the year at a price that seems too good to be true, it probably is. Beware of false advertising and pay close attention to the web address in your browser. Scammers usually create copycat websites that, at first glance, seem to belong to a legitimate seller. Make sure the websites you visit use the correct spelling of a company name and have legitimate contact information and customer service phone numbers.
  • Shop with reputable sellers and only on secure sites. Be cautious of retailers you aren’t familiar with. Do your research before making any purchase – read customers’ reviews, find information online and decide if the seller is trustworthy. In addition, make sure any web page you purchase from is secure. Secure web addresses begin with HTTPS:// and not just HTTP://. Never put personal or credit card information in forms on non-secure web pages.
  • Keep your antivirus software up to date. Make sure you have antivirus software installed on your computer or mobile device, and that it is up to date. This will help you to avoid non-secure websites and pop-up phishing scams, and help keep your personal information safe.
  • Price check before you buy. Dozens of online retailers will claim they have the best price on an item, but their offers can be misleading. Do your homework by comparing prices. Remember that the best deal may not be the real deal.
  • Make the best of rewards and loyalty programs. Check your credit card rewards program for special point offers that could add up on Cyber Monday and throughout the holidays. Make purchases using loyalty programs; many major retailers offer them.
  • Use your credit card. It’s always best to make online purchases with your credit card. If any shady charges turn up later, you will be able to contest them through your credit card company. Debit cards don’t offer this same protection. Never make purchases with online sellers by giving them prepaid debit cards or wiring them money.
  • Carefully read and understand return policies. Online store policies may change for Cyber Monday offers. Read the fine print before you buy. Understand the return or exchange policy for the specific item you would like to purchase. Be aware that stores may not allow returns for “final sale” or “closeout” items. Make sure to get gift receipts, so the recipient can return or exchange the item if necessary.
  • Watch out for phishing scams. Busy schedules and increased purchases make it easier to miss – and fall victim to – a phishing scam. Look out for unsolicited emails, texts, calls, or letters. These messages may claim you have a free gift waiting for you or that there is a problem with a delivery – all you need to do is click on a link or give up your personal information. Ignore suspicious correspondence and calls from unfamiliar phone numbers.

Train Your Employees With ATTACK Simulator’s Phishing Simulations

Phishing scams can be all the more devastating when scammers target businesses. Make sure you keep your company safe this holiday shopping season with robust security awareness training for your employees.

You need security awareness training for your employees for many reasons:

  • To prevent cyberattacks and breaches
  • To strenghten your technological defenses
  • To attract more customers
  • To make you more socially responsible
  • To empower your employees
  • To meet compliance standards
  • To prevent downtimes and maintain a good reputation

Our realistic phishing simulations will expose your employees to life-like hands-on fake phishing attacks.

Here are some awesome perks of choosing us:

  • Automated attack simulation – we simulate all kinds of cyberattacks: phishing, malware, ransomware, spear-phishing, identity theft, online privacy attacks, online scams etc.
  • Real-life scenarios – we evaluate users’ vulnerability to give company-related or pesonal data away using realistic web-pages.
  • User behavior analysis – we gather user data and compile it in extensive reports to give you a detailed picture of your employees’ security awareness level.
  • Malicious file replicas – our emails contain malware file replicas, to make the simulation as realistic as it can be.
  • Interactive lessons – if employees fail to recognize our traps and fall into one, they will be redirected to landing pages with quick reads on the best security practices.
  • We impersonate popular brands on our simulated phishing pages – the user will be more tempted to click on the URL or open the attachment in the email.

ATTACK Simulator’s Security Awareness Training program will help you equip your employees with the necessary security knowledge and up-to-date security practices to keep your company safe from scammers and avoid potentially irremediable damage.

Keep your company safe from Cyber Monday scams with ATTACK Simulator.

Everything being said, would your employees take the bait? Put them to the test with our free security awareness training trial and know for sure!

Attribution:

Feature Image: Business card photo created by jannoon028 – www.freepik.com

Web illustrations by Storyset

by Diana Panduru

Content writer for Attack Simulator. Passionate about all things writing and cybersecurity, and obsessed with driving. I sometimes indulge in pencil drawing, poetry, and cooking for fun.

There’s no reason to postpone training your employees

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