Festive Shopping or Cyber Trap? How to Stay Safe from Scams This Season

Shopping online is at its peak with the festive season being fully in swing, but with the risks of cyber fraud riding along. Cybercriminals are using the holiday rush to their advantage as they have been using every trick in the book to dupe shoppers and acquire sensitive information. Here's how you can protect yourself from these scams and ensure that your festive shopping experience is totally safe.

Understanding the Risks

The increase in online sales and offers during festivals also attracts cyberciminals, who are interested in targeting consumers. According to cybersecurity experts, phishing scams and fake websites peak during this time. Cases of e-commerce fraud shoot up by 30% during major festivals when cybercriminals target consumers through fake promotions and websites, reports suggest. "Cybercriminals become active during the festive season," says Saif Ahmad Khan, founder of LEDSAK. "The more often people shop and buy with cut-price offers, the bigger the scope for fraudsters to deceive people."

Technologies for Self-Defense Against Cyber Fraud

1. Use Safe Booking and Purchase Channels

Most fraudsters also use bogus websites or third-party portals for making bookings. According to Pranav Dangi, CEO of The Hosteller, "All bookings must be done on the official website and authentic applications." Booking through secured official platforms cuts the chances of fraud, he further added. Stay only on those websites that offer maximum security.

2. Encryption of payments.

When shopping online, ensure end-to-end encryption on payment sites. You can check the URL of the website if it contains "https://," meaning that your data is encrypted and cannot be accessed by cybercrooks. This ensures that cybercriminals cannot access your data nor alter it. Data that has been intercepted cannot be read.

3. Two-Factor Authentication

It would protect you from any unauthorized access, and one feature Manish Tewari, Co-Founder of Spydra Technologies emphasizes on is that this will add two layers of verification, thereby it makes the cyber thief to work a little more, and in case you provide them with your password, it won't open your account for them as they will require two.

4. Payment Methods That Are Trust Worthy

Use secure payment methods like credit cards or reputable third-party processors. Never disclose routing and account numbers. According to cybersecurity expert Edul Patel, "festivals are a peak time when fraudsters will inject phishing emails and fake investment schemes." Use established payment channels to minimize risk.

5. Be Cautious with Unsolicited Communications

Avoid clicking on unsolicited links in emails or messages as scammers use these for collecting personal data. "Be wary of suspicious language and fake offers," advises Vinod K Singh, CTO of Concirrus. Scammers use words like "limited-time offer" to make you feel that you are in a hurry and therefore, do not think much before acting.

6. Keep Track of Account Activity

Keep a close watch on your bank and payment app statements. Major Vineet Kumar, President of CyberPeace, encourages the monitoring of financial transactions for catching any suspicious activity at the earliest. Reporting scams in time will prevent losses.

7. Avoid Using Public Wi-Fi for Transactions

Avoid buying stuff online from public Wi-Fi because most of the public networks are unsecured. Hackers steal such data from public networks; that includes passwords and credit card details. A VPN adds an extra layer of protection when using public Wi-Fi since it encrypts the connection and keeps your data safe.

8. Security Updates

Upgrade the devices with new software and security patches to make the equipment secure against vulnerabilities. The key according to Noventiq India Advisor Peter Theobald is vigilance while these festive seasons are rolled along, where cybercrimes bank on increased volume. He advises not to be caught off guard for something that "sounds too good to be true," no matter if it happens by robocalls.

AI-Powered Security and Reporting Cybercrime

The firms use AI-powered systems for the scan of vulnerabilities. Last month, Quick Heal Technologies discovered a phishing fake antivirus app fooling millions of users. CEO of the company is CEO Vishal Salvi warns one to be wary and claims that the proliferation of fake apps is leading an individual to feel a lot secure. "If you stumble upon such an app or a scam, you report this to the National Cyber Crime Helpline at 1930 or cybercrime.gov.in," he warned.

Be cautious, make sure you use secure payments and avoid contact with unknown persons. In this way, you shall have a safe shopping festival season.

Also read: A Noida man was duped of ₹8 lakh by cyber fraudsters masquerading as officers in an alarming racket