Prime Day is here! And you’re not the only one looking forward to it.
As one of the most well-known and participated in internet shopping events has arrived, it is a good time to keep in mind that not everyone marks the date as an opportunity to find deals on shopping. Many cyber criminals will use the flurry of activity to try to steal your information as well as hard earned cash in a variety of ways. Here are just some of the ways that you may encounter over the next few days:
SMS Messaging, or ‘Smishing’ – One way that scammers may try to target you is by sending a text claiming that there is an issue with your account, and to follow a link they send to resolve the issue, and in doing so, trick you into giving up important personal information. Remember: any link you are sent via SMS messaging may be spoofed and designed to lead you to a false website. Before acting on any SMS message you do not recognize, you should verify your account yourself. NEVER give up sensitive information, especially passwords.
False ‘awards’ or ‘gifts’ – Another common scam utilized by malevolent actors is to pretend to be celebrating Prime Day or other events by holding giveaways, false prizes, offers for shipping benefits, or other benefits, in return for signing up. By doing this, scammers can obtain many kinds of personally identifiable information such as cell phone numbers, email addresses, passwords, and potentially even banking information.
Suspicious or unusual requests for financial transactions – Sometimes scammers will utilize financial transactions to try and steal money directly from you. One method they may try is the ‘overpayment scam’, whereupon the scammer will send you a payment but ‘accidentally’ sends too much money and request that you send them back the difference. However, what will be found out later is that the initial overpayment was fraudulent and rejected by the bank, resulting in the loss of the ‘overpayment’ amount. Another red flag is when payment is requested to be in the form of gift cards or if gift cards are supposed to be provided in return for a ‘shipping fee’.
What are some ways of Protecting myself?
Practice healthy skepticism – If you receive a text message that you do not recognize, be wary that it could be a scam. Verify directly with the account in question, and do not give out information such as email addresses, phone numbers, passwords, or credit card information.
Safeguard your information – Exercise caution that you only provide your personally Identifiable information, such as your email address, phone number, credit card information, and home address with trusted and verified individuals and services. Never give out your password to someone claiming to be the account holder, and always verify that you are communicating with who you think you are before acting upon those communications.