Farewell to the year gone by! Care measures concerning fraud during Christmas and New Year

We’ve covered this before, though it deserves repeating: we’re currently passing through one of the favorite periods of the year among cybercriminals. That’s right, the year is ending, and with it comes Christmas and New Year celebrations, which often trigger increased consumption among people. Some attempt to acquire gifts for their loved ones, while others simply want to buy something new to wear on New Year’s eve, kicking off the new year in style. The reason’s not important; the fact is that most Internet users log on to shop.

Black Friday is long gone, but don’t be fooled into thinking the danger has subsided. With just a few days to Christmas and New Year, which also heightens online shopping, scammers have plenty of incentive to set new traps. So, if you’re considering taking advantage of the offers at this time of year, it’s worth doubling your attention when it comes to certain scams and fraud often carried out by cybercriminals.

Basic tips

Generally, the tips for avoiding problems when doing online shopping over Christmas and New Year don’t differ much from other festive periods:

• Take care with phishing emails and WhatsApp chain messages promising gifts or promotions. Very often, these links direct the victim to a fake website with a form designed to steal personal information. When in doubt about whether a brand is truly distributing giveaways, visit the official website to find information there.

• Try to restrict your purchases to reliable stores. That way, you avoid acquiring an item through fake e-commerce that will never deliver your order. Carefully check to make sure the store is actually concerned when it comes to the safety of buyers and always take a look at reviews by other users.

• With facilitated payment methods — like Brazil’s PIX instant payment method — growing in popularity, it’s common for scammers to use these resources for different types of fraudulent activity. Despite the practicality of these payment methods, it’s a good idea to use alternatives that allow refunds in the event of a scam, such as virtual cards.

Take care when it comes to the 13th salary!

It is also vital to remember that, in the months of November and December, many people receive a year-end bonus, or as in the case of Brazil, an additional month’s salary (also known as the thirteenth salary) — yet another seductive reason to entice cybercriminals. The Brazilian Federation of Banks, or FEBRABAN, issued a warning on the topic that should be followed.

"There are countless tricks, such as messages warning of a problem with a customer's account, or about an exceeded limit on a card or even the need to update a token. With the customers' personal information in hand, criminals can perform transactions, bypass security blocks and unlock new cards," explains Adriano Volpini, director of the federation's Fraud Prevention Committee. 

He added: “Stop, think and be cautious, always. Banks never call clients asking them to install some type of app on their phones. They also never ask for bank card passwords or numbers, nor that the user make some transfer or any other payment to supposedly resolve an issue with the account. And they would never tell a client that a courier was heading over to collect a bank card at their home”.