Shipping Scams Up 440% Amid Record Online Shopping
Shipping scams are up a whopping 440% as online shopping hits new records amid the pandemic.
The coronavirus pandemic has changed how people are doing their holiday shopping, with many opting for online outlets rather than in-person options. Never too far behind any trend, scammers are seeing a potential gold mine.
According to Check Point Software Technologies, a firm specializing in cybersecurity, scammers are trying to trick shoppers into divulging sensitive information. The scammers are impersonating shipping companies, such as Amazon, DHL and Fedex, to get people to lower their guard.
Unlike classic phishing emails that are designed to lure people into giving personal details, credit card info or bank account credentials, these emails are specifically impersonating shipping vendors with different versions of fake messages reporting a “delivery issue” or “Track your shipment” details.
All are trying to lure the recipients to submitting details and stealing credentials or financial data. We believe hackers have specifically chosen this vector in November, as they know that large numbers of online shoppers are waiting for their packages to arrive and are more attentive to shipping-related emails while they may be more aware of more traditional e-commerce related fraud and phishing attempts.
Check Point recommends basic security precautions, such as never giving credentials over email, verifying that any links include the correct domain and not a lookalike, being suspicious of an email that seems overly pushy, as well as any that contain spelling and grammatical errors.
