July has become synonymous with online retail sales. Prime Day kicked off this week, but retail rivals are also issuing competing sales to capitalize on the buzz of Amazon’s two-day event.
Walmart and Target are just some of the heavy hitters in the industry offering their own sales to lure in shoppers.
The downside: It provides a big opportunity for scammers to target online shoppers.
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The Better Business Bureau (BBB) warned consumers to be wary of phishing scams, misleading advertisements and lookalike websites.
But “this year, scammers are more sophisticated than ever, employing tactics like phishing emails and fake websites to steal your personal and payment information,” Ariel Parnes, former head of the Israeli Intelligence Service Cyber Department, told FOX Business.
One of the best things to do is to slow down when sifting through these sales, according to Shawn Waldman, founder of cybersecurity consulting firm Secure Cyber Defense.
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“If you’re in a hurry, you’re more likely to make mistakes. Secondly, if something looks suspicious, trust your gut – it’s the cheapest and most effective form of security,” Waldman told FOX Business.
The most common scams to watch for:
Phishing emails and fake websites
These types of scams are “designed to steal your personal and payment information,” Parnes said.
He said shoppers need to be cautious of emails that request personal information or login details. Shoppers should always verify the address beforehand. Scammers will often use similar email addresses, but there will be “subtle differences,” Parnes said.
He also said to not click on any links within unsolicited emails.
Fake websites
Ensure sites always start with “https://”.
Certain scam sites will misspell things in the URL, such as replacing “I” with “l” or “o” with “0,” which are common tricks used by scammers to create fake websites that look legitimate, according to Parnes.
To avoid falling for this, shoppers should use official channels like Amazon’s official app or website rather than search engines.
Fake ads
Waldman also said it’s important to be cautious about ads on the internet given that hackers often use tactics called “phishing hole” attacks. This is when malicious ads are placed on websites to trick a person into clicking on them.
“These can be particularly dangerous during Prime Day, as such ads may contain links to malware or software that can steal your passwords and other sensitive information,” he added.
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