Top Holiday Cyber Scams

As the holiday season approaches, the online market is sure to start booming. With the growth of Internet consumers, the amount of online scams is sure to increase as well. Hackers have created scams to try and attack these customers. With this in mind, McAfee has announced their “12 Scams of Christmas”, and topping the list are offers for free iPads, often seen through phishing scams.

As you start to partake in your holiday shopping, CMIT would like to keep you informed of these scams, so that you stay protected and don't have your personal information stolen. Here’s the top 12 list:

1. Free iPad offers
2. Messages that tempt you into wiring money to “family/friends”
3. Fake gift cards
4. Seasonal job offers with that are “high-paying” & allow you to work from home
5. Smishing – spam sent through text messages
6. Fake holiday vacation rental sites
7. Pay-in-advance credit schemes that require a processing fee
8. E-cards from false senders
9. Deals and prices that seem “too good to be true”
10. Ploys asking you to donate to charities
11. Holiday-themed downloads (screensavers, animations)
12. Public Wi-Fi in hotels and airports

Be sure to keep these scams in mind as the holidays come up! Visit MSN to read more about these holiday cyber crimes!