Visually inspect gift cards for signs of tampering before loading funds.
It’s a particularly risky time of the year as shoppers of all ages, including those with less experience recognising digital threats, flock to search engines and online channels to place orders. Opportunistic hackers know just how to create enticing, seasonally appropriate lures — and even some of the simplest scams can fool adept online shoppers.
At Fortinet, we analyse some of the most common cyber threats to prepare for during the holidays — along with a few unique outliers we’re expecting to see this season.
Online holiday gift card scams
Gift cards are a common vector for cybercriminals and scammers, since stealing the money loaded onto them is like stealing cash: Once it’s taken, there’s virtually no way for a victim to get it back (unlike credit card transactions, which allow chargebacks).
Some will go as far as to manipulate gift cards sold in stores, scratching off the layer of protective coating to write down personal identification numbers (PINs), and then “replacing” the coating with a sticker so it looks brand new. Scammers will plug those PINs into software that sends an alert once someone has purchased and activated their gift card and then proceed to drain all its funds.
Cybercriminals may also attempt to scam via e-mail. If you’ve ever received a strange e-mail urging you…
