The holiday season often brings joy and celebration— but also a rise in cybercrime. The Federal Bureau of Investigation reports 12,000 victims lost $73 million to online scams during the holiday season in 2022, including in Alabama. Experts at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) are now offering a guide for residents to preserve their cybersecurity.
Yuliang Zheng, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Computer Science at UAB emphasizes that vigilance and caution are the best defenses against data breaches and online shopping, credit card and phishing scams, according to a report from UAB News.
“Fraudsters commonly use phishing emails, text messages, social media and even search engine results to capture people’s attention,” Zheng told the news outlet. “Always scrutinize URLs, particularly those requesting personal information like login credentials or credit card numbers.”
Online shopping can also put credit card and personal information at risk on both legitimate and fraudulent websites. To shop safely, Zheng advises confirming the legitimacy of websites, as scammers have become adept at making their sites look authentic.
“One common trick is using characters from foreign languages that resemble English letters to deceive people into believing they are on a legitimate site,” Zheng noted to UAB News. “While these characters look similar, they lead to entirely different websites.”
Tips to minimize exposure to credit card fraud:
- Avoid saving your credit card number on websites
- Use a one-time credit card number if available from a credit card provider
- Understand a credit card’s fraud protection policy
- Consider third-party payment services that conceal credit card numbers from merchants
Many people travel during the holidays and publicly post their location or activities/photos on social media, which carries its risks, according to Zheng.
“Posting about travels is like announcing to the world, including potential criminals, that your home is empty,” he explained. “It’s best to share photos after returning home.”
Another risk is account takeover, where scammers hack into social media accounts to send money requests to friends and family. Zheng suggests always verifying such requests with a direct phone call.
More information on how Alabamians can ow to preserve their cybersecurity during the holidays can be found here.
