Beware the 12 online scams of Christmas

Identity theft comes in many forms. Never give up your personal information.

Scams run high leading up to and over the holidays, which could affect the many Canadians planning on shopping online this year, including those who plan on using a mobile device.

The security experts at McAfee have again provided a list of the most common scams. The list has been revised and updated from last year to include newer threats targeting mobile device users.

 1. Phony e-tailers: Phony e-commerce sites, that appear real, try to lure you into typing in your credit card number and other personal details, often by promoting great deals. They get your money,  but you never receive the merchandise, and your personal information is put at risk.
2. Malicious mobile apps: As the popularity of applications has grown, so have the chances that you could download a malicious application designed to steal your information or even send out premium-rate text messages without your knowledge.

3. Travel scams: Before you book your flight or hotel for the holidays, keep in mind that the scammers are looking to hook you with too-good-to-be-true deals. Phony travel web pages with beautiful pictures and rock-bottom prices are used to get you to hand over your financial details.

4. Holiday spam/phishing: Soon many of these spam emails will take on holiday themes. Cheap Rolex watches and pharmaceuticals may be advertised as the “perfect gift” for that special someone.

5. iPhone 5, iPad and other hot holiday gift scams: The kind of excitement and buzz surrounding Apple’s new iPhone 5 is a cyber crook's dream. They will mention must-have holiday gifts in dangerous links, phony contests and phishing emails as a way to get you to reveal personal information or click on a dangerous link that could download malware onto your machine.

6. Skype message scare:  Skype is a popular way to connect with loved ones this season, but be aware of a new Skype message scam that attempts to infect your machine and hold your files for ransom.

7. Bogus gift cards: Cyber criminals want to get in on the action by offering bogus gift cards. Be wary of buying gift cards from third parties; just imagine how embarrassing it would be to find out that the gift card you gave your mother-in-law was fraudulent!

8. Holiday smishing: “SMishing” is phishing via text message. The scammer tries to lure you into revealing information, or performing an action you normally wouldn’t do, by pretending to be legitimate. 

9. Social media scams: Many of us use social media sites to connect with family and friends over the holidays, and the cyber criminals know this is a good place to catch you off guard because we’re all “friends,” right? Beware of ads for phony contests, “stay at home” jobs, and friends’ Facebook and Twitter accounts being hacked and sending out fake alerts to all their “friends.”

10. Fake charities: This is one of the biggest scams of every holiday season. As we open up our hearts and wallets, the bad guys hope to get in on the giving by sending spam emails advertising fake charities.

11. Dangerous e-cards: E-Cards are a popular way to send a quick “thank you” or holiday greeting, but some are malicious and may contain spyware or viruses that download onto your computer once you click on the link to view the greeting.

12. Phony classifieds: Online classified sites may be a great place to look for holiday gifts and part-time jobs, but beware of phony offers that ask for too much personal information or ask you to wire funds via Western Union, since these are most likely scams.