This article is contributed by Gerald Caron, Chief Information Security Officer, Acronis
Major shopping events like 11.11, Black Friday, and the holiday season are built around excitement. We hunt for deals, tick items off our gift lists, and look forward to a little retail therapy. Unfortunately, scammers look forward to these exact same weeks. They know we are moving fast, clicking quickly, and letting our guard down in pursuit of a bargain.
Protecting your wallet and personal data doesn’t mean skipping the sales. It just means adopting a few smart habits. Here is how to navigate the season safely without letting fraudsters ruin your holidays.
1. Spotting Fake Links in Your DMs and Inbox
Scammers love holidays because urgency is easy to manufacture. They flood WhatsApp, SMS, email, and social media with ads featuring unbelievable price drops on flagship smartphones, gaming consoles, and kitchen gadgets.
The link looks real enough, but it usually leads to a carbon-copy phishing site designed to steal your credit card details.
- The golden rule: Skip the promotional links entirely. If you see a great deal on a brand’s social media page, open their official mobile app or type their web address directly into your browser.
- Watch out for red flags: Look closely at web addresses. Scammers rely on subtle misspellings, extra hyphens, or shortened links that hide where you are actually going.
- Friendly fire: Be cautious even if a message comes from someone you know. Compromised accounts are frequently used to blast scam links to everyone in an address book.
- Never share codes: Legitimate retailers will never ask you to forward a text, enter your payment details, or share a verification code just to “unlock” a prize or deal.
2. How to Tell a Real Store from a Trap
The risk of a fraudulent online store goes far beyond buying a discounted blender that never arrives. Shady sites exist purely to harvest your passwords, home address, and credit card data for identity theft.
Before you enter your payment info, take sixty seconds to do a reality check:
- Check the contact info: Legitimate businesses provide real customer service numbers and physical addresses. If a site only has an anonymous web contact form, walk away.
- Read reviews critically: If every single review is glowing, posted within a brief window, and uses similar language, it is likely fake. Check independent review platforms.
- Compare prices: If an item is marked down by 80% while every other retailer sells it at standard market price, someone is setting a trap.
- Stay on the platform: If you are buying on a major marketplace, keep your chat and payments inside that platform. If a seller asks you to move the conversation to WhatsApp or pay via direct bank transfer for an “extra discount,” shut it down.
3. Smart Habits for PayNow and QR Code Payments
When you finally reach the checkout screen, slow down. The payment confirmation screen is your last line of defence against sending money to a fraudster.
- Check your banking app, not their page: Do not rely on screenshots or pages provided by the seller. Look directly at the recipient name displayed in your own banking app before hitting approve. If the name belongs to an individual instead of a registered company, hit cancel.
- Inspect physical QR codes: At pop-up booths or retail counters, glance at the QR code to ensure a scammer hasn’t pasted a sticker over the legitimate merchant code.
- Beware of “refund” traps: If an unfamiliar seller sends you a QR code or payment link to supposedly receive a refund or cash-back reward, it is a scam. You are paying them, not the other way around.
4. Recognising Fake Customer Service Reps
Imagine getting a text message from your bank, a delivery company, or a favourite retailer saying there is an urgent issue with your recent order or payment. Because you are already expecting packages, your brain connects the dots and panics. Scammers bank on that exact moment of vulnerability.
- Never disclose OTPs: Real support staff will never ask for your passwords, one-time passwords (OTPs), or PINs. Handing over an OTP gives a criminal direct access to take over your account.
- Refuse remote access: If someone calls claiming to be from tech support or fraud prevention and asks you to install a remote-access app like AnyDesk, hang up immediately.
- Verify independently: If a message sounds alarming, end the conversation. Open the company’s official app or call the verified customer service number printed on the back of your credit card.
5. Beating the Fear of Missing Out (FOMO)
Scammers design flash sales to trigger panic. Countdown timers that keep resetting, pop-ups shouting “Only 2 items left!”, and massive discounts combined with demands for immediate payment are all psychological levers meant to stop you from thinking critically.
Take a breath. A real retailer will still be there in ten minutes while you double-check the URL. Preparing a simple shopping list before the sales start can also help anchor you, making it easier to judge whether a deal meets a real need instead of a manufactured emergency.
6. What to Do If You Get Scammed
Even the most cautious shoppers can slip up. If you suspect you have fallen victim to a scam, speed is everything:
- Call your bank immediately: Inform them if you transferred money or exposed card details. Ask them to freeze accounts and secure your cards.
- File a police report: Gather screenshots, chat logs, website URLs, and payment receipts.
- Secure your email first: Change compromised passwords, starting with your email account. If a hacker gets into your inbox, they can reset the passwords to every other service you use. Enable multi-factor authentication everywhere.
- Report the listing: Notify the shopping platform or social media network so they can take down the fraudulent account.
- Watch out for secondary scams: If you have been scammed, be highly suspicious of anyone who reaches out later claiming they can recover your lost money for an upfront fee. Recovery scams target previous victims a second time.
- Get local help: In Singapore, contact the 24-hour ScamShield Helpline at 1799 for immediate guidance.
Final Thoughts for the Season
Shopping online should be fun, convenient, and stress-free. By keeping a healthy dose of scepticism, sticking to official apps, keeping payments on-platform, and refusing to share authentication codes, you can enjoy the best of the holiday season without giving cybercriminals a seat at your table.
