HIGHLIGHTS
Scammers send fake invoices and ask users to call a number to get rid of the charges.
Names of celebrities and famous people are misused by fraudsters to scam innocents.
Victims receive threatening emails containing personal information.
The holiday season is upon us and after all the hard work that we’ve put in all year, we do plan on going on trips and I am sure you might be planning one too. The holiday season hence becomes a heavy season for scammers who try to con people trying to go on vacations. Google has issued a warning against three popular scams that are widely taking place. Read along to make sure that you don’t get scammed too.
Google has issued a warning to Gmail users, urging vigilance against holiday scams. In a blog post, the company said that Gmail blocks over 99.9% of spam, phishing, and malware. Enhanced security features have already reduced scam activity by 35% this holiday season compared to last year, with many harmful messages blocked before reaching users’ inboxes. But here are some scams that you should watch out for.
Holiday scams
- Invoice Scams: Scammers send fake invoices. These invoices ask users to call a number to get rid of the charges. Once contact is made, the scammers build fake stories and try to manipulate victims into paying fraudulent fees.
- Celebrity Scams: Names of celebrities and famous people are misused by fraudsters to scam innocents. Scammers pretend to be celebrities or claim their endorsement of products. They share offers that are too good to be true and since a celebrity is endorsing them, many users end up believing them.
- Extortion Scams: Victims receive threatening emails containing personal information, such as home addresses or pictures of their location. Scammers threaten users that they will cause physical harm or release their sensitive information if they don’t pay a hefty ransom to them.
So this holiday season, beware of these scams and always verify the source before you end up believing in something.