During the holiday season it’s important to be particularly wary of scams and other nefarious activities that tend to dominate the Internet at this time of the year.

Some of the most common scams of the season: 

» Bogus shipping notifications: Scammers know you’ve got shipments coming in, and they’ll try to leverage that to get you to fall for seasonal phishing emails that claim your shipments have been delayed or delivered to the wrong location. If you have been notified of a problem with a package, check with the reseller using a known good phone number or website address. Don’t trust the phone number, links or anything in the email you received.

» Hot holiday gift scams: Wouldn’t it be great to save $100 off that new XBOX or PS4? Scammers are fond of enticing consumers to their bogus websites and getting them to order goods that will never be delivered. And the scammers will likely make off with their credit card number as well. Only shop with reputable retailers, and be wary of any special deals that come your way via email. I’ve said it before and I’ll keep saying it: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!

» Holiday SMiShing: SMiShing is when a scammer sends a phishing-style message as an SMS text message to a phone. Scammers will try to lure unsuspecting consumers to illicit websites by offering bogus gift cards to Walmart and other popular retailers. Free offers received via text are also certainly scams, so never reply to them. Never visit links provided in an unexpected text message, and never give out personal information such as credit cards or Social Security numbers via text.

» Fake charities: Scammers prey on our natural tendency to be extra charitable during the holiday season. Combine a holiday with a natural disaster, such as the recent typhoon in the Philippines, and you have an environment ripe for scams. Don’t respond to email or text-message pleas for charity. Only give to charities you have looked into personally and trust, using known good websites and phone numbers.

Just being aware that scammers are particularly active during the holidays will give you a leg up as you venture out to celebrate the season.

———
Hawaiian Telcom Information Security Director Beau Monday is a local cybersecurity expert. Reach him at Beau.Monday@hawaiiantel.com.