KANSAS CITY, Mo. — As shoppers scour the internet for the best deals on Cyber Monday, technology experts warn that scammers are scouring the internet too, but they're looking for shoppers' personal information.
“Criminals create messages that are designed to lure you to click on links that will take you to malicious websites,” Integral Chief Technology Expert Burton Kelso said.
He said shoppers expect calls, emails and text messages this time of year regarding package deliveries and issues with orders, which creates an opportunity for scammers.
“It takes you clicking on the wrong link to get yourself inflected with the variety of cyber threats that are out there,” Kelso said. “Go to their sites to figure out what the real status of your package is as opposed to believing a voicemail message or even a text message that comes in.”
When purchasing an item online, he offered three steps for a safer experience:
- Use passphrases, not passwords for online accounts;
- Create an alternate email for shopping online;
- Don’t give out your mobile number, instead use a Google Voice or Whats App number.
The FBI also weighed in on Cyber Monday, noting that the most popular scams are non-delivery and non-payment crimes.
According to the Internet Crime Complaint Center's 2021 report, non-payment or non-delivery scams cost people more than $337 million last year with credit-card fraud accounting for another $173 million in losses.
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