Scammers are using fake offers on luxury brands to lure online shoppers into fraud websites.
Luxury items like Louis Vuitton bags and Yeezy shoes are among the top targets for online scams.
To stay safe, verify URLs and shop only from trusted sources to protect personal information.
The holiday season is quickly approaching, and scammers have come up with a new method to con people. If you’re looking for great deals on your favorite luxury brands, we recommend being cautious. According to McAfee researchers, cybercriminals are exploiting the shopping season to offer fake deals on popular luxury and tech products. These scammers use malicious links to trick online shoppers into visiting a fraudulent website after creating excitement in their minds.
SurveyAccording to McAfee’s research, the increase in fraud activities coincides with the holiday shopping season, when consumers are most prone to deals that appear too good to be true and eventually fall for them. The rise in phishing scams and fraud websites is intended to mimic trusted platforms and defraud them. According to the report, McAfee has saved over 624,000 malicious or suspicious URLs related to well-known consumer brands.
READ: Credit card scam: How a gang used fake calls to steal from over 50 users
The report also suggests that two of the most exploited items used by scammers to entice people are Louis Vuitton handbags and Yeezy shoes. Additionally, scammers use Apple products and Rolex watches to scam people by directing them to fake e-commerce sites with unrealistically low prices.
This trick clearly means that scammers attempt to lure people to visit fake websites by offering deals at unrealistic prices, and then dupe them by setting up convincing traps to steal their personal information or money.
Which categories are most targeted by scammers:
Specifically, cybercriminals are attempting to target luxury handbags, footwear, and watches, the report said. Furthermore, Apple is being targeted for both fraudulent customer service websites and fake products.
How to Stay Safe
Before making any purchase, all online shoppers should verify the URLs. Shoppers should also double-check the deal on search engines before making a purchase. It is preferable that you shop from credible websites and protect your personal information.
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Ashish Singh
Ashish Singh is the Chief Copy Editor at Digit. He's been wrangling tech jargon since 2020 (Times Internet, Jagran English '22). When not policing commas, he's likely fueling his gadget habit with coffee, strategising his next virtual race, or plotting a road trip to test the latest in-car tech. He speaks fluent Geek. View Full Profile
