Gift Card Scams are Revamped This Holiday Season

It’s that time of year again.  It’s the beginning of the holiday season, and with the holidays comes family, memories and scams?

Unfortunately, Black Friday and Cyber Monday scams have become so common that they are now a part of the holidays.  The most common scams during the holidays is the sale of gift cards, and there are now new and creative ways that scammers are targeting people.

If you see websites offering gift cards at a discounted rate, then it is most likely a scam.  There have also been websites claiming to use “gift card generators” that will generate a code for a gift card.  They use well-known companies, which makes this approach seem reliable and legitimate.  As a result, one of two things can happen; either all of the your information that you submit on the online form to obtain the gift card can be stolen, or the generator can download malware onto your system.

The best way to avoid falling victim to this scam is to avoid purchasing a gift card online all together, especially during Black Friday and Cyber Monday.  If you still have your heart set on purchasing a gift card online during this time, then just always follow you instinct.  If it seems out of the ordinary, it probably is.

Categorised in: IT Threat