Google warns of holiday scams: Bad actors 'accelerate' during the season
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Google is warning its users about possible holiday scams.
In a post on its blog, the search engine giant warned that con artists will try to steal online account information and money.
"These con artists are pesky and persistent during the best of times, but during the holiday season their behavior is even more extreme," Google said.
The company explained that it has a dedicated team of "Googlers" working around the clock to thwart the bad actors.
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ILLUSTRATION - 24 April 2021, Berlin: The logo of the app Gmail is seen on the screen of a smartphone. Google parent Alphabet announces Q1 figures on 27/04/2021. ((Photo by Fabian Sommer/picture alliance via Getty Images) / Getty Images)
"We protect Gmail users from nearly 15 billion unwanted messages a day, blocking more than 99.9% of spam, phishing and malware. But malicious actors don’t slow down during the holiday season — they accelerate. In the past two weeks alone, we blocked over 231 billion spam and phishing messages, 10% higher than the average volume," it noted.
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Here are the red flags Google cautions users to watch out for:
1. Gift cards and giveaways.
Scammers may attempt to con people into purchasing a gift card for them, sometimes using the guise of a known contact.
Other times, they may falsely advertise for a free prize in exchange for sharing credit card information.
Think twice before clicking any links and check with friends to confirm they really sent the request.
2. Charities
Charity-related scams and phishing attempts get worse this time of year, hurting charities that would have benefited from giving.
Be on the lookout for anyone asking to contact them on their personal email or send money to them directly.
A fake reward in an email from a scammer (Google / Fox News)
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3. Demographic targeting
Some of the worst scams are those that are specifically targeted at a person.
Keep your eyes peeled for identity-based malicious emails this holiday season.
4. Subscription renewals
As the end of the year approaches, subscription renewal scams can spike.
Some emails spoof antivirus services, which lure victims with the promise of improved security.
An an example of a cryptocurrency scam (Google / Fox News)
Be sure to check the sender's email to make sure it is not fraudulent.
5. Crypto scams
Crypto-based scams can also run rampant this time of year, often using a cryptocurrency wallet to collect payment and attempting to extort funds through a threat.
Some big red flags include typos, email addresses that seem off, or demands for payment.
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"Digital safeguards in Gmail, including advanced phishing and malware controls, are tuned on by default, which help ensure you are protected," Google concluded. "And while this is a dynamic, unending challenge, our tools and security experts are constantly scouring the data to spot new attack methods and building new, sophisticated protections to help keep you safe."