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The festive season brings joy, discounts, and convenience to shoppers, but it also draws the attention of cybercriminals seeking to exploit gullible consumers. Global software security firm McAfee’s Global Festive Shopping Survey 2024 highlights a sharp growth in online scams during the festive season in India. Cybercriminals use advanced technologies like deepfake and phishing attempts to target holiday shoppers.
According to the survey conducted by McAfee, 95 per cent of Indians plan to engage in deal-seeking behaviours during the festive shopping season due to inflation. Additionally, 90 per cent of respondents indicated that they would consider starting their festive shopping earlier than usual to find the best possible deals. Moreover, 41 per cent stated they are more likely to take advantage of a good deal immediately when they see it.
This is a large set of audiences for scams, and scammers are becoming more creative than ever and have started using spam messages and deepfake content. The report highlights that 7 per cent reported fake missed delivery or delivery problem notifications, while 24 per cent saw security alerts from popular e-commerce platforms or notifications regarding account updates.
To help you shop safely this festive season, here are a few tips from McAfee India.
Posting fake deals and discounts is one of the most common tactics cybercriminals use to lure more customers. This includes offers like a 99 per cent discount on a specific product, limited-time deals, where users have just a few seconds to buy a product at a really low price, and fake websites, where scammers will even create an entire web page that might mimic platforms like Amazon and Flipkart. If a deal is too good to be true, it’s probably not true.
Before you click on any unsolicited link, make sure to check its authenticity. In the age of AI, use tools like McAfee Text Scam Detector to identify if the content has been generated using AI. When you receive content that might seem like a deepfake, take a closer look at anomalies like hands, teeth, or background, and also make sure that the audio is in sync with lips.
By following these simple tips, you can reduce the risk of scams while shopping online, especially during this festive season.
