Open Source Intelligence 101

Hackers, scammers and cybercriminals love the holiday season because it gives them the chance to take advantage of the crazy holiday shopping and make a nice profit out of unknowing shoppers. By using phishing scams, online scammers take advantage of the fact that your email inbox is so full of holiday specials and offers that you won’t think twice before clicking on a malicious link. Here are 5 scams to keep an eye out for this holiday season… Receipts and invoices. A lot of people do their shopping online these days and during the holiday season, there is a huge increase in online receipts and invoices that shoppers will receive via email. Scammers will hide malicious code in an attachment or link and shoppers won’t think twice when clicking on an attachment that’s apparently from Amazon! Shipping status. Just like the fake receipts and invoices, fake shipping status alerts are a great way for scammers to trick shoppers into thinking there is a problem with their...

Do not get suckered by an online scam this holiday season! We all love a good online deal, but do you know who else loves and online deal? Cybercriminals and scammers looking for an easy opportunity to trick you just like the Grinch! So how can you shop safely online this holiday season? Here are eight helpful tips to keep you safe… 1. Stay away from ransomware. Don’t ever open email attachments from a shopping website that are not trusted or well-known and be sure to back up your files on a regular basis just in case you do get infected with ransomware. 2. Be wary of phishing scams. Never, ever click on a link that is sent unexpectedly through email, SMS or other messengers such as WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger. 3. Always use strong passwords. Use a combination of letters, numbers, special symbols as well as upper and lower case letters to ensure that your password is strong and harder for hackers to figure out. 4. Only shop on safe websites. Before you mak...

A holiday scam is a type of scam that will take advantage of potential travelers who are looking to go on holiday by tricking them with falsely advertised fake holiday packages. Often, these fake holiday packages will include ideal accommodation or timeshare. It is easier than you think to fall for a holiday scam as the packages look legitimate as well as the websites they are advertised on. How does a holiday scam work? -- You will come across a website with an unbelievable holiday package. Alternatively, you could receive an email promoting an amazing holiday package. -- The deal is only running for the next few hours, so you need to pay for the package on the fake website before the time runs out and you miss the deal. -- You input your private details on the seemly genuine website, therefore giving away your card details. -- The purchase goes through, but you never receive the holiday package that you paid for. -- The cybercriminals now have access t...