How businesses can protect against online scams over the holiday season
The run up to the holiday period is a prime time for cyber attackers as they try to exploit the rise in online activity to launch phishing and spoofing attacks, distribute malware, and create fraudulent schemes.
Online retail brands are a prime target. Last year UK shoppers lost more than £11.5 million to online scammers between November and January. However, it’s important to remember that the risks also extend to other industry sectors, as employees may use work devices for last minute festive shopping and other end-of-year activity. Here we explore how scammers take advantage of this annual trend and how to protect against these threats.
McAfee reports rise in AI scams and deepfake threats for holiday shoppers
McAfee has released its 2024 Global Holiday Shopping Scams Study, providing insight into how AI-driven scams and deepfake technology are increasingly affecting shoppers during the holiday season. The research highlights that these advanced scams are becoming harder to identify, causing many consumers to change their shopping behavior to avoid potential risks.
The study surveyed 7,128 adults across seven countries, including the U.S., Australia, India, the UK, France, Germany, and Japan, and was conducted online in November 2024.