The long-awaited holiday season for many has begun in earnest. Some people are already looking forward to their long-awaited holidays, others are just planning their trip, hoping that they will find a great opportunity. Cybercriminals, for whom holidays are harvest time, are especially waiting for the latter. To avoid becoming a victim of manipulative tricks, it is worth knowing what tricks hackers use.
Super-deals do not exist
If you read a holiday offer and it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
Cyber fraudsters often send phishing emails with cheap trips or flights. Be sure to be vigilant with these types of offers, especially if you are looking for a cheap trip. After being redirected to a website with a “bargain” offer, there is a high probability that you will use unsecured payment options, which may give the cybercriminal not only your money, but also personal data that can be used for further fraud.
Also watch out for offers that appear on social media. Remember that anyone can create a post, and cyber fraudsters will do it in such a way as to attract your attention and convince you to click on the link. The offer of the day, no booking costs, and an incredibly low price are factors that need to be carefully checked.
Beware of phishing. One of the simplest and most effective ways to lure people to a phishing email. More than 90% of hacker attacks start with phishing. Sending a persuasive message that is intended to make you take a specific action – usually downloading a file or clicking a link – is a very common practice. Cybercriminals will try any tricks to manipulate their victims. During the peak of the holiday season, you may be tempted by: - holiday promotions,
- last free seats on the plane,
- paid leave,
- attractive trip insurance,
- incredibly low prices for accommodation,
- holiday romance (especially when on the other side there is an Arab prince, an oil rig employee, a military man, a doctor working for an international organization, a rich man in temporary financial difficulties, a high-earning person whose job involves traveling, so he has no friends or family here),
- an unusual request from your boss or a colleague who is on vacation.
A hacker can pretend to be anyone, so it is so important to pay special attention to the link attached to such a message. Before you click on it, move your mouse cursor over it to see the real address you are going to. Often, this practice is enough to avoid becoming a victim of cyber fraudsters.
How to recognize phishing?
Learn 8 tips and increase your security awareness!
Shortened links
The shortened address view is nothing new, just like links starting with bit.ly or goo.gl. Particularly in social media, address shortening tools are often used to limit the number of characters that are imposed when creating a post.
When looking for a holiday or a plane ticket at a bargain price, you need to be careful with shorter addresses. Cyber fraudsters are well aware of the popularity of link shortening tools, which is why they willingly use them.
Not every shortened link has to be malicious, but with each one, assume that this one might be. After clicking – always check the page you are on. If you skip this step, in the heat of the moment you are looking for a bargain, you may end up on a fake website, and entering your login, password or email address will result in the data being immediately sent to hackers. Cybercriminals can use your account to rent a holiday home or room, but also to launder money.
Invisible typos
A glance at a web address is not enough to identify a scam. To make sure you are on the right website, look carefully at each letter. Not only may it turn out that their order has been slightly changed and instead of “booking”, it will be “booknig”.
Cybercriminals also use alternative alphabets to disguise phishing web addresses. Look carefully for small spots under or above the letters that may look like the monitor is dirty. The letters in the Latvian alphabet look very similar to the Polish ones, but they have delicate tails or dots. You think you are on the right page, but in reality you are falling into the trap of criminals.
