Delivery scams up 427% in the US amid holiday sales. Here are some tips to avoid them
Amazon was the most impersonated brand in the US
The U.S. saw a 427% increase in delivery and shipping-related scams amid Black Friday and Cyber Monday, according to data from cybersecurity firm Check Point Research.
Amazon was the most impersonated brand in the U.S.; 65% of fake delivery emails came from bad actors posing as Amazon, Check Point found.
"Hackers are going after the entire online shopping experience, before and after you purchase," a Check Point Research spokesperson told FOX Business. "First, hackers will send you 'special offers' to your inbox from your favorite brands. Then, hackers will send an email about the delivery of your purchase, even if you bought from a trusted source."
Amazon delivery worker (Amazon.com)
These scam emails, known as "phishing" emails, often contain either downloadable files that can put malware on people's computers and give bad actors access to their information or links that lead victims to malicious websites designed to look legitimate that ask users to input their personal information.
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"Now that Black Friday and Cyber Monday are over, we're turning towards the other side of the equation, which is deliveries," the spokesperson said.
Users should be double-checking emails touting sales or informing users of purchases and deliveries to make sure they came from legitimate sources like Amazon, DHL or FedEx, according to Check Point Research.
"Watch for misspellings. Beware of Lookalike Domains. It's clear to us that hackers are targeting online shoppers at every step of the online shopping experience, where the danger is very real before and after you make a purchase," the spokesperson said.
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Amazon surpassed $4.8 billion in global sales between Black Friday and Cyber Monday -- a 60% jump from 2019, according to the e-commerce platform.
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Check Point researchers have six tips to avoid these phishing scams: One, never share credentials; two, always be suspicious of password reset emails; three, verify URLs by copy and pasting them into Google Search rather than directly clicking on them; four, beware of lookalike domains or website names; five, note language in emails; and six, watch for misspellings and grammatical errors in emails.