Cybercrooks are using Thanksgiving and Black Friday to lure hungry shoppers into sitting down to a malicious meal.
Researchers at the antivirus company Symantec have noticed a slew of Thanksgiving-themed spam messages, with titles such as, “Save 25% on Thanksgiving Best Sellers and Centerpieces” and “Limited Time Offer: Thanksgiving Flowers Starting at $19.99.” The spam messages all offer some type of great deal available for a limited time, Symantec researcher Samir Patil said.
Pursuing the supposed deal will take users to a fake website that will then attempt to trick them into entering personal information such as credit card numbers.
The holiday season is consistently a time when malicious schemes come out in droves; not only are consumers spending lots of money between Thanksgiving and Christmas – much of it done via websites or even smartphones – but people are always looking for a bargain, and cybercriminals can create fake offers to effectively lure in victims.
Symantec recommends users exercise caution when they see suspicious or unsolicited e-mails, especially offering holiday shopping deals.
