Tech scams threatening your holidays

Shopping online or even at an actual store can have digital risks that you as the consumer needs to be aware of this holiday season. There are three main digital crimes to keep an eye out for these holidays: ATM fraud, point-of-sale kiosk malware and online scams and infected retail websites.

ATM fraud

ATM fraud is a fast way for criminals to make some quick cash, from “jackpotting” cash machines to installing malware onto the ATM to skimming card data and recording your PIN. According to The South African Banking Risk Information Centre (Sabric) drawing money at an ATM contributes to 85% of all debit card fraud transactions in our country this year.

Your card can be skimmed at ATMs or at points-of-sale so you need to always remember to never accept help from anybody at ATMs and never let your card out of your sight when you’re doing a transaction.

Point-of-sale risks

For business owners and consumers, infected point-of-sale kiosks and other infected systems have been responsible for some major retail breaches over the last year. A device can become compromised without actual access to the register, and it sometimes takes retailers a while to detect and neutralize the breach.

You can protect yourself by using a credit card that offers one-time use, time-limited or virtual credit card numbers rather than a debit card to ensure you are protected. Also you should never let your card out of your sight when you’re making payments and if it is possible insert the card into the point-of-sale device yourself.

Online scams & Infected retail websites

You always need to watch out for fake online stores that advertise products at “too-good-to-be-true prices”, these sites could also be selling counterfeit products! That’s why you need to make sure you only shop at stores that you know and trust.

Only download shopping applications from an official app store and if the app asks for too much information when you’re registering – delete it!

You need to aware of fake emails too, never click on email links that claim to be from your bank. Sabric says that criminals are also abusing online application channels and using fake details to open multiple credit card accounts in order to get a legitimate card and PIN.

Fraud is on the rise in South Africa and criminals are always finding new technological ways to scam you. If you take note of all the tips then you could be able to protect your bank balance these holidays, after all knowing what to look out for is incredibly important to avoid being a victim!

The Computer Guyz in Cape Town and Centurion can offer you a wide range of services, from general IT support and maintenance to website design and hosting or even just some friendly advice. 

Written By: Christine Romans
Copy Writer at The Computer Guyz