With the arrival of the Black Friday and the Christmas holidays, thee-commerce explodes, but the risks of online scams are also increasing. During this period, cybercriminals take advantage of the shopping frenzy to steal personal data, credit card numbers and banking credentials. The scams, which range from the sale of fake products to sophisticated phishing attacks, are a constant threat, amplified by emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence.
Black Friday and Christmas, the role of AI
Cisco Talos, an intelligence company of the Cisco group, in fact reports a Growing alarm over use of artificial intelligence by cybercriminals to improve the quality of their scams. AI enables the creation of more realistic phishing messages that are difficult to distinguish from genuine communications. Using advanced language models like ChatGpt, criminals are able to produce deceptive emails and messages with unprecedented fluency, making it even more difficult for users to identify fraud attempts.
“The next three months are the preferred period for cybercriminals to target consumers, mainly through phishing and spam emails, but also by creating fake apps and websites that promise access to exclusive offers or unmissable deals, with the intent of stealing our confidential data,” said Renzo Ghizzoni, country leader sales security by Cisco Italy.
Online Scams: Beware of Deepfakes
Another aspect that is raising concerns about online scams is theexplosive increase in deepfake use. This technology, powered by artificial intelligence, it allows to create fake content, such as videos, images and especially audio, which appear incredibly realistic. In particular, i Deepfake audio is becoming more and more widely used by scammers, who are able to imitate the voices of trusted people, such as company executives or family members, to trick victims into making large sums of money.
This technology represents a significant advancement in social engineering techniques, or the art of psychologically manipulating people to obtain sensitive information. Thanks to deepfakes, criminals can impersonate trusted figures so believably that scams become harder to recognize.
Christmas Scams: 8 Tips to Protect Yourself
Here eight recommendations by Cisco Talos for protect yourself from scams during the Black Friday and Christmas period:
- Be wary of offers that are too advantageous: If a promotion seems too good to be true, it probably is. Beware of unverified or obscure websites.
- Beware of suspicious communications: Do not respond to emails or text messages that allege problems with your bank accounts or that ask for sensitive personal information.
- Only browse official sites: Avoid clicking on links or advertisements. Go directly to the websites of the companies where you intend to purchase.
- Avoid urgent requests: Don’t make hasty decisions under pressure. Scams often rely on demands for immediate action.
- Verify the legitimacy of social communications: If a company contacts you via social media, first check their authenticity before providing any data.
- Don't shop on public Wi-Fi networks: Use secure connections to prevent data from being intercepted.
- Download only from official sources: Download applications only from verified stores such as Google Play Store or Apple App Store, avoiding apps from unverified sources.
- Use strong passwords and enable two-factor authentication: To better protect your accounts, choose strong, unique passwords for each site and enable multi-factor authentication (MFA).
"One minute: this is the time it takes potential victims to fall into the phishing trap. During this shopping season, it is essential to remain vigilant and strengthen cyber defenses through advanced authentication and verification mechanisms,” explains Ghizzoni.
(Read Also: Most Common and Used Passwords: “123456” Returns to the Top of the List)
Online scams, deception also on WhatsApp
Consob has also recently raised an alarm about the financial scams circulating on platforms like WhatsApp. In this case, scammers hide behind deceptive offers, exploiting the popularity of this messaging system. The Financial Market Supervisory Authority has warned savers, underlining that scams, even if disguised as advantageous opportunities, involve serious risks for those who fall into their net.
In a period like the holidays and Black Friday, characterized by frenetic shopping, it is it is essential to keep your guard up e adopt adequate security measures. In these moments, the Prevention and awareness become essential. Being informed about the risks, using strong and unique passwords and always checking the validity of online offers are crucial steps to avoid dangers. Only with a constant vigilance we can protect our assets and defend ourselves from scams and buy online (and not only) in complete safety.
