Twelve Scams of Christmas (Part 2)

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December 3rd, 2009 - Posted by Robert Siciliano

Robert Siciliano is a NextAdvisor.com Expert Guest Blogger

As cybercriminals begin to take advantage of the holiday season, McAfee has revealed "The Twelve Scams of Christmas," the most dangerous online scams that computer users should be cautious of this holiday season. According to Consumer Reports' 2009 State of the Net Survey, cybercriminals have bilked $8 billion from consumers in the past two years, and McAfee warns consumers not to fall victim to the top scams this year.

Since I'm on McAfee's Consumer Advisory Board, I'm advising you to beware of the following scams.

Scams 1-3 are here.

4. The Dangers of Holiday E-Cards

Thieves cash in on consumers who send holiday e-cards in an effort to be environmentally conscious. Last holiday season, McAfee Labs discovered a worm masked as Hallmark e-cards and McDonald's and Coca-Cola holiday promotions. Holiday-themed PowerPoint e-mail attachments are also popular among cybercriminals. Be careful what you click on.

5. "Luxury" Holiday Jewelry Comes at a High Price

McAfee Labs recently uncovered a new holiday campaign that leads shoppers to malware-ridden sites offering "discounted" luxury gifts from Cartier, Gucci, and Tag Heuer. Cybercriminals even use fraudulent logos of the Better Business Bureau to trick shoppers into buying products they never receive.

6. Practice Safe Holiday Shopping – Online Identity Theft on the Rise

Forrester Research Inc. predicts online holiday sales will increase this year, as more bargain hunters turn to the web for deals. While users shop and surf on open hotspots, hackers can spy on their activity in an attempt to steal their personal information. McAfee tells users never to shop online from a public computer or on an open WiFi network.

Stay tuned for the rest of the season's top scams. And in the meantime, protect your identity.

Get a credit freeze. Go online now and search "credit freeze" or "security freeze" and go to ConsumersUnion.org and follow the steps for the state you live in. This is an absolutely necessary tool to secure your credit. In most cases it prevents new accounts from being opened in your name. And invest in identity theft protection. Not all forms of identity theft can be prevented, but an identity theft protection service can dramatically reduce your risk.

Robert Siciliano, identity theft speaker, discusses Black Friday and Cyber Monday on FOX Boston.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uElaJirHSI8[/youtube]

Robert Siciliano is CEO of IDTheftSecurity.com, an identity theft expert, professional speaker, security analyst, published author and television news correspondent. Siciliano works with Fortune 1000 companies and startups as an advisor on product launches, branding, messaging, representation, SEO and media. Siciliano's thoughts and advice on all these matters appear often in both the televised and print news media including CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, FOX, Forbes and USA Today. He has 25 years of security training as a member of the American Society of Industrial Security. He is the author of two books, including The Safety Minute: Living on High Alert; How to take control of your personal security and prevent fraud. He's also partnered with Uni-Ball to help raise awareness about the growing threat of identity theft and to provide tips on how you can protect yourself.