Cyber scams tempt holiday shoppers

Tomorrow is Cyber Monday, and it’s a good time to remind you that if you think you’re too smart to get caught by a scammer, think again.

Two in five U.S. consumers have fallen victim to an online phishing attack, according to a 2017 Cyber Monday Phishing Survey by DomainTools.

It still happens even though 91 percent of consumers are aware that crooks will create spoofed websites or send phishing emails that impersonate trusted, big name retailers or brands, according to the Seattle-based company that helps organizations and security analysts map criminal activity and prevent cyber attacks.

So it’s not overkill to warn shoppers once again to be a little paranoid when they spot a too-good-to-betrue deal online.

Here’s how to avoid getting scammed during the holiday shopping frenzy:

Stop chasing any and all deals

“We live in an age where we have all these push notifications and emails,” said Steve Koenig, senior director of market research at the Consumer Technology Association, a trade group in Arlington, Va.

The volume of such activity during the holidays, he said, makes consumers even more vulnerable to clicking on a $100 coupon before thinking twice.

“We’re all moving super fast, we get distracted,” said Tim Helming, director of product management at DomainTools.

When we’re rushing, we might not notice that the website in an email has an odd name.

Brands that continue to be spoofed include Amazon, Wal-Mart and Target. Other brands that are commonly targeted include PayPal, Yahoo and Apple.

Helming told me that consumers need to be wary of fake sites that play up the “Black Friday” frenzy. Dozens of malicious domain registrations cropped up last year beginning around Nov. 20, and he expects the same this year, too.

Learn how to spot a fake

Watch out for a domain decorated with a few extra, possibly even reassuring, words or odd spellings. DomainTools listed some brand-abusing domains that have a dot-com at the end but they’re still frauds, such as Amazonsecure-shop, Target-officialsite or Walmartkt.

Other fakes include: Amazonshop.gq or Targethome. today or Walmartoutlet.ga.

Helming said domains that include a hyphen and words such as shop or secure can be good clues to a phony site, as many brand names use their names alone for their sites.

Other words in a fake URL site that appears to be connected to a well-known name might be something like “outlet,” “discounts” or “deals.”

Many times, the fraudsters use words like “official site” to make their fake sites look legitimate. Or there might be extra letters, such as Yahooo or Walmaart.

Take care on social media. Phishers can use “URL shortening” services to obfuscate phishing URLs. As a result, a very short URL can be used in tweets, which automatically redirect the visitor to a longer “hidden” URL, according to the Anti-Phishing Working Group’s research.

Recognize the risks of rushing

Consumers who click on the links or visit malicious sites are typically unknowingly handing over their names, addresses and credit card information.

Never click on links in emails or social media to go to a retailer’s website. Take a few extra seconds to type in the site yourself. Be sure to look twice at all URLs.

Ask yourself why

Why would Amazon be sending you a free gift card? Really?

Yes, one of those free $50 Amazon gift cards popped up in my email the other day. Of course, it’s a spoofed email, so I just hit delete.

Amazon is warning consumers that phishing emails will direct you to a “false website that looks similar to the Amazon website, where you might be asked to provide account information such as your email address and password combination.”

Phishers can steal user names and passwords from one site to engage in fraud on other sites. Too many consumers carelessly use the exact same usernames and passwords across different sites.

Amazon doesn’t send emails that ask for your Social Security number, bank account information, PIN or your Amazon.com password.

Amazon offers shoppers a way to report suspicious emails and web pages. You can forward the email or send suspicious email as an attachment to stop-spoofing@amazon.com.

Remember, bargains abound throughout the holiday season, so there’s no reason to think you absolutely must get all that shopping done right now.