FRAUDSTERS will launch nearly one million cyber attacks a day on UK online retailers during a key shopping week in the run-up to Christmas.
Analysts believe criminals will focus on buying consumer electronics including games consoles and mobile technology as the number of internet shoppers surges over so-called Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
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The consumer bonanza is an American trend that has spread to the UK, with Black Friday, now Britain’s biggest shopping day, falling the day after Thanksgiving.
The following Monday has been branded Cyber Monday, when online deals take centre stage. Black Friday is on November 25 this year, while Cyber Monday is on November 28.
Cybercrime prevention company ThreatMetrix is predicting 6.5 million cyber attacks on UK retailers during that week.
Britain broadly experiences around 13% of global attacks on online retailers, and there are predicted to be around 50 million worldwide that week.
How to avoid online fraud
-Firstly, remember that if something seems too good to be true, it normally is.
-If you like to interact with brands on social media, check they are “verified”. On Facebook and Twitter pages, this means the company will have a blue tick on their profile.
-As a general rule, verified status means the account should be legitimate.
-Look for grammatical and spelling errors; fraudsters are notoriously bad at writing proper English.
-If you receive a message from a “friend” informing you of a freebie, consider whether it’s written in your friend’s normal style.
-If you’re invited to click on an URL, hover over the link to see the address it will take you to – does it look genuine?
-To be on the really safe side, don’t click on unsolicited links in messages, even if they appear to come from a trusted contact.
-Be careful when opening email attachments too. Fraudsters are increasingly attaching files, usually PDFs or spreadsheets, which contain dangerous malware.
-If you receive a suspicious message then report it to the company it came from, block the sender and delete it.
-If you like to interact with brands on social media, check they are “verified”. On Facebook and Twitter pages, this means the company will have a blue tick on their profile.
-As a general rule, verified status means the account should be legitimate.
-Look for grammatical and spelling errors; fraudsters are notoriously bad at writing proper English.
-If you receive a message from a “friend” informing you of a freebie, consider whether it’s written in your friend’s normal style.
-If you’re invited to click on an URL, hover over the link to see the address it will take you to – does it look genuine?
-To be on the really safe side, don’t click on unsolicited links in messages, even if they appear to come from a trusted contact.
-Be careful when opening email attachments too. Fraudsters are increasingly attaching files, usually PDFs or spreadsheets, which contain dangerous malware.
-If you receive a suspicious message then report it to the company it came from, block the sender and delete it.
In the same period in 2014 globally there were 11.4 million attacks, and in that week in 2015 there were 30 million, and experts believe they will see a rise to 50 million this year.
During the final three months of 2016 there are expected to be around 20 million attacks on UK shopping websites, up from 16.5 million between July and September.
Worldwide, there were 76 million blocked online transactions in those three months, a 60% rise on the same period in 2015.
Black Friday shoppers should also be wary of bogus bargains.
Tom Church, from deal sharing community LatestDeals.co.uk, said: “Black Friday deals can sometimes be too good to be true. This is the biggest time of the year for online fraud.
“Shoppers can stay safe by buying products from the brand’s own shop, or direct from an official retailer. “Where possible, try to avoid third-party sellers and use a credit card.”
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