Scam Season: the top Scams to watch out for this December

The festive season is my favorite time of the year. It is a time to celebrate and reconnect with our family, friends and community and the one time in the year where the whole country feels like it is on holiday. In the Southern Hemisphere, it is also called the silly season, on account of the higher than usual number of social engagements, slow down of work activities and general holiday mood.

Unfortunately, it is also a time where fraudsters and cybercriminals are coming out in full force, trying to take advantage of the uptake in online shopping, deliveries, and more lackadaisical attitude. Here, I have listed a few points to keep safe this festive season:

• Look out for scams that really increase at this time of year, particularly deals that sound too good to be true, discounts that are amazing or free gift cards – nothing in life comes free and if something sounds too good to be true, it usually is.

• Be careful of fake delivery notices – many of us will order online this year and criminals know that, trying to catch us with emails or text messages pretending to be from the shipment company.

• Australia Post has been made aware of fraudulent text messages that are circulating as an update to a parcel delivery and prompting customers to click on a link to “update your information”. These scam messages are sent using ‘AusPost’ sender ID and, due to the way smart phones group these communications, the scam text would appear together with the legitimate thread of Australia Post messages. Here is one example: Once clicked, the link will lead to fake Australia Post website which is designed to steal your personal and financial information.

• Be careful regarding charity organisations – when we reflect at the end of the year about who to support, we have to make sure we transfer our donations to the intended recipients. Many charity organisations pop up now that could be bogus or fake. Make sure you know who is behind it and that you are paying a reputable organisation.

• Always use reputable retail websites when purchasing online.

• If you are visiting a site with auctions or resellers, take the time to review their profiles and ensure they have a history of selling.

• If purchasing from a site for the first time, research the organisation and look for reviews on social media or online.

• Make sure to use a credit card for online purchases and monitor the card regularly for fraudulent activity.

• Verify confirmation emails and get tracking numbers for purchases.

• If you or the kids get any new tech gadgets this year, secure them right away, such as changing default passwords.

• Remember the basics: keep all systems, apps and plugins up to date, especially your antivirus software, make sure you use multi-factor authentication wherever possible and do not trust anything you have not 100% verified or expected.

By following these mainly common-sense practices, you should be able to sit back, relax and enjoy the festive season in full swing. Happy Holidays!