Online fraudsters hit lockdown shoppers

CYBER security experts recorded a sharp rise in online shopping fraud in November as stores shut during the month- long lockdown and shoppers flocked to the internet.

The company Cyberint said it recorded a fourfold increase in stolen payment cards for sale on major ‘ dark web’ payment card marketplaces in November, compared with the 2020 average.

It said consumers are often duped by‘ site cloning’ where criminals duplicate websites. The number of copycat ‘lookalike’ domain names rose by 125 per cent and phishing sites designed to fool customers increased by 117 per cent.

Cyberint warned that retailers often relax internal fraud monitors in busy periods to improve the experience for shoppers, but leaving them more vulnerable. It said criminals also target social media, adding it ‘observed a recent increase in “threat actor” activity originating in China, focusing on impersonation of retail organisation customer service agents or social media profiles’.