Cyber Monday is a great time to score some amazing deals on electronics, clothing, and other items. However, it’s also a prime time for scammers to take advantage of unsuspecting shoppers.

Guardio is a browser protection extension tool that can help you stay protected when navigating the web. By using Guardio you can be sure that all the fake malicious sites and links will be blocked to protect you from falling into harmful tricks. Keep reading to know some of the most common Cyber Monday scams and how to avoid them. Stay safe out there!

What are Cyber Monday Scams?

Since the pandemic, most people worldwide have been making their purchases online, from groceries to holiday shopping. With Cyber Monday just around the corner, cyberattacks have started to increase. Hackers want to take advantage of the high number of people looking for gifts and great deals on the web. Through scams, hackers pretend to commit identity theft, account takeover fraud, steal money from gift cards or bank accounts, get your credit card information, cause chargebacks and steal your private information to sell it on the dark web.

Sadly, this time of the year, we are more vulnerable to scams. To avoid being a victim is important to know the most common types of scams during Cyber Monday and what we can do to avoid them.

Some of the common Cyber Monday scams are:

• Gift card fraud 
• Credit card fraud 
• Phishing attacks 

Gift Card Fraud:

Since gift cards are easily convertible to cash or merchandise and in some cases, transactions using them are untraceable, they’re an attractive target for criminals. Online gift card frauds come in different ways, such as phishing emails, asking people to pay for a service, product or delivery fee through a gift card. In this type of fraud, hackers create a sense of urgency, and most of the time, they pretend to be an official authority such as the IRS, the government or well-known companies.

Use a tool to block harmful sites:

Guardio security team has developed unique in-house features to detect the presence of phishing links that lead you to malicious sites. Having a protection tool like Guardio will help you prevent clicking on those tricky links by blocking any fake site that attempts to steal your information.

Credit Card Fraud:

In this kind of fraud, hackers want to obtain basic information such as the account holder’s name, credit card number, and expiration date. To get this information, they may perpetrate fraudulent activities by mail, phone, or online.  Credit card fraud is the most frequent of all types of identity theft. There are 1.5 billion credit cards in the U.S., which explains why millions fall prey annually.

Avoid data breaches:

Credit card fraud can even happen when there’s a data breach on your device. When this occurs, your privacy is at risk, and hackers could easily take advantage of and steal your information. Once you install an extension protection tool like Guardio, it shows you past leaks and alerts you immediately so you can take action fast to prevent identity theft. Guardio can track 5 different email addresses with one membership to ensure all your business or family accounts are protected.

Phishing attacks:

Phishing is a fraudulent email or other communication that punishes the victim. It usually looks like it’s from a credible source. If successful, the victim may provide private information willingly on a fake website. Other times, malware can be downloaded onto their computer without the user realizing it. During Cyber Monday, many retailers send emails to their clients with promotions and links to their websites. However, you need to be aware that some of these emails might be sent by hackers who duplicate a well-known brand website in order to steal your bank account information or take control of your personal device.

Protect your device from malware:

Protecting your computer with Guardio extension will help you eliminate the invasive notifications you get when your device is infected with malware. Guardio traces the sources and connections and blocks them all at once, something other extensions cannot do. Also, Guardio scans your device to look for harmful extensions you may haven’t noticed, removes them, and alert you before installing them in the first place.

Conclusion:

Now that you know some of the most common Cyber Monday scams, you can take the necessary precautions to protect yourself. Be extra careful when clicking on links in emails, use a reliable extension like Guardio to protect your device, and don’t forget to keep an eye out for any red flags that may pop up.