It may surprise you to learn that cyber criminals are just as busy as the rest of us during this time of year with timely holiday phishing attempts. Below are a few common holiday scams that occur every year. Keep these in mind and inform your employees, family and friends of cyber attacks to be on the lookout for during the holidays.

Holiday phishing scams to be cautious of

• Fake purchase receipts – designed to look like real online retailers to confuse consumers when they know they didn’t know purchase something so they click the link which leads them to a malicious site.
  Tip: Hovering over a link before clicking can help you identify if a link leads to a reputable site, but it is safer to not click something you are concerned about.
• Charity scams – scammers will attempt to exploit Americans via fake websites and telemarketers.
• Delivery scams – spoofed messages that replicate the look of UPS, FedEx, or USPS tracking notices designed for people to click the link thinking it is for something they recently ordered only to get redirected to a malicious site.
  Tip: only check tracking notices from the website you ordered from.
• Holiday eCards – scammers create a holiday email card containing a link to view the card which contains malicious malware that gives them email login access. Call or text the person who “sent” the holiday eCard to ensure it is legitimate before clicking.
• Fake coupons & deals – spoofed messages with a retailer’s email signature designed to look like the retailer is having a sale or giving away coupons.
  Tip: always look on the retailer’s website to double check if the deal is valid.
• Travel scams – designed to trap travelers by sending a notice saying their trip has been cancelled and to fill out a form to claim their refund only for the external form to collect your personal information.

The MCMTS Cybersecurity Team is here to help you keep your business safe from cyber attacks. To learn more about cybersecurity defenses that may work for you, or for cybersecurity training for your employees, reach out to us by clicking here.