10 tips to avoid Cyber Monday scams   
       
   By Wendy Zamora | November 12, 2015   
       
       
   Shoppers familiar with the Cyber Monday circus know they're stepping into the   
   lion's den. The Internet has always been a lawless place, but it becomes   
   particularly rough during the holiday shopping season.   
       
   In preparation for the frenzy, cyber villains have crafted a virtual onslaught   
   of social engineering scams, pop-up spam, and malvertising campaigns in order   
   to dupe the droves of people expected to spend $3 billion online this year.   
       
   So, bargain hunters, it's important to know the warning signs. Here's your   
   guide to safe online shopping on Cyber Monday and beyond.   
       
   1.Go directly to a store's website instead of using search engines to look for   
   deals. If you do happen to find a deal using a search engine, try to verify it   
   by searching for the exact name of the deal in quotes. If it's a scam, then   
   it's likely someone will have already put out a warning.   
       
   2.Give pop-ups and other digital ads the stank eye.  Many pop-ups could   
   contain fake coupons, redirect you to malicious sites, or expose you to   
   cross-site scripting attacks. In addition, malvertising is a huge issue for   
   websites right now. "We'd be surprised if criminals didn't look to take   
   advantage of web traffic over Cyber Monday by poisoning adverts on popular   
   shopping portals," says Chris Boyd, Malware Intelligence Analyst at   
   Malwarebytes.   
       
   3.Watch out for social media scams, especially on Facebook.  Cyber criminals   
   are using fake or compromised Facebook accounts in order to post links to   
   amaaaaaazing deals that don't actually exist. They're especially prone to   
   dropping links on the walls of open groups dedicated to shopping.   
       
   "One of the top shopping scams to avoid in the run-up to Cyber Monday is the   
   social media fakeout," says Boyd. "During any given holiday period there will   
   be an excess of fake offers, deals, and supposed freebies which tend to have a   
   sting in the tail. In the last few weeks, we've seen fake cruises, bogus free   
   wine deals, and more. If you're being asked to share something on Facebook in   
   order to get your hands on something too good to be true, you can bet there's   
   a scam involved."   
       
   4.Dump Cyber Monday emails with attachments in the virtual garbage. Cyber   
   Monday emails with attachments, especially zip files, are super suspect-it's   
   possible they contain malware. Delete them immediately. Not only that, but you   
   should review any other Cyber Monday-related emails with a hawk eye. If you   
   get an email from a store claiming to have a deal, type the store's URL   
   directly into your browser instead of clicking on the link. If the site   
   doesn't verify the deal, you know it's a fake.   
       
   5.Make sure you're on a secure connection. Look for the padlock icon to the   
   left of the URL when you go to check out. If it's there, then that means the   
   information passed between a store's server and your browser remains private.   
   In addition, the URL should read "https" and not just "http."   
       
   6.Do not use debit cards to shop online. Want to give cyber criminals direct   
   access to your bank account? Then by all means, use your debit card!   
   Otherwise, play it safe by using credit cards or a PayPal account that's   
   linked to a credit card. While many banks are cracking down on fraudulent   
   withdrawals, you'll still have to wait for your money while they investigate   
   the charges.   
       
   7.Avoid using public wifi to shop. All a cyber criminal needs to do to get a   
   public wifi password and wreak havoc is order a coffee. If you're shopping and   
   entering personal data, best to do it on your secure wifi connection at home.   
       
   8.Watch out for malicious QR codes. Q what now? QR codes are small, pixelated   
   codes meant to be scanned by a smartphone's camera. They often contain   
   coupons, links to websites, or other product marketing materials. Some hackers   
   have started creating codes that link to a phishing or malware site, printing   
   them on stickers, and placing them on top of the legit QR codes. Best to avoid   
   them.   
       
   9.Don't fork over extra info. If a site starts asking for out-of-the-ordinary   
   personal data, like Social Security numbers or password security questions,   
   slam on the brakes and get the heck out of Dodge.   
       
   10.Tighten up security before you shop on Cyber Monday. Make sure all software   
   on your computer is up-to-date, including your OS, browser, and other apps.   
   And if you don't already have it, install an anti-malware program and an   
   ad-blocker to insure maximum coverage. If you covered your cyber security   
   bases in the past, run updates on your AV, firewall, and other programs.   
       
       
   Regards,   
       
   Roger   
      
   --- DB 3.99 + Windows 10   
    * Origin: NCS BBS - Houma, LoUiSiAna (1:3828/7)