We anticipate surge in online shopping scams ahead of Christmas festivities – CSA says
The Cyber Security Authority (CSA) has said it expects a significant increase in the number of online shopping scams ahead of the Christmas festivities.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, November 23, the CSA noted the surge in online shopping scams will be due to the “increasing availability” of digital shopping channels.
“Black Friday and Cyber Monday marks the beginning of the Christmas shopping season for many households. With the increasing availability of digital shopping channels, the CSA anticipates a surge in the number of shopping scams such as fake online shops and malware attacks,” the CSA stated.
According to the CSA, the modus operandi of fraudsters/scammers during the festive season will include the creation of online profiles to promote and sell non-existent goods at very affordable prices as well as malicious links cloaked in official-looking emails to deceive people into disclosing their personal information such as debit/credit card number or account number.
To avoid falling victim to these online shopping scams, the CSA has however, recommended to the public that, they do due diligence on any shopping site before making purchases online.
As much as possible, the public must only shop from reputable and well-known online stores and stay away from websites that have never been heard of.
The public must also make payments on delivery rather than first making payments with the assurance that the goods purchased will be delivered.
Read details of statement below:
