‘Tis the season to be cautious!

As Black Friday and the Christmas season approaches, we're warning people to be aware of scams.

Phishing emails are on the rise as cyber criminals exploit the flood of promotional emails and online shopping traffic, to make their scams look legitimate.

Their goal is to blend in, to trick you into clicking malicious links or sharing sensitive information.

Criminals sometimes create fake websites that mimic legitimate retailers or use the name of well-known brands, often promoting on social media sites.

What Can You Do?

Pause before you click - if an offer looks too good to be true, it probably is!

• shop with trusted retailers, bookmark them in your browser. You might not get an incredible deal but you're less likely to get scammed.
• check the sender - hover over email addresses and links to verify authenticity
• avoid websites with no contact information, broken contact forms or personal email addresses. A lack of physical addresses, phone numbers, customer service contacts and clear return policies are often clues of suspicious websites
• examine the web address and be suspicious if it looks just like one you've used in the past but the domain name or store name is different For example, you may be used to shopping at Amazon, whose website address is https://www.amazon.com, but end up at a fake website that looks similar, but has the website address aamazon.deals
• search for reviews. Type the store's URL into a search engine to see what others have said about it
• avoid the urgency traps - Phishing emails often use phrases like "act now!" or "limited time offer."
• report suspicious emails - use the "Report Phishing" button in Outlook
• secure your accounts - enable 'multi factor authentication' and passkeys wherever they're available

It's important to remember that phishing doesn't catch us because we're clueless. It catches us because we're human - when we're tired and distracted or just trying to survive the week! Phishing doesn't prey on our intelligence, it preys on our emotions.

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