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5 ways to protect yourself from New Year scams

5:20 PM

12 minute read

With 2024 just around the corner, scammers and fraudsters are gearing up to steal unsuspecting users of their money and personal information. From fake holiday gift vouchers to discount coupons for popular e-commerce websites, cybercriminals are getting more sophisticated every year. Here are some ways to steer clear of online scams this New Year’s Eve.

Check website review

With New Year’s Eve just around the corner, fraudsters are betting that consumers won’t be paying much attention and eventually lose money to online scams. If you happen to come across an online deal that sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

This is especially true with travel offers and discounts on electronics like smartphones, so make sure you verify if the website you are buying from is legitimate. To check an e-commerce platform’s authenticity and trustworthiness, you can Google the “[website name] review” or use third-party services like Trustpilot.

Avoid clicking on shady links

If your friend or family member texts you link to a website, think twice before opening it as scammers may have set it up to steal your money. Fraudsters also try to rake in on the New Year trend and often send emails with links to shady websites, so avoid clicking on such links, especially if you get an email from an unknown sender.

The same goes for products you see on social media websites like Instagram and Facebook. If your friend sends you a message or link to a product available at a discounted price, double check if it is real, or better, call them and ask them about it.

Enable 2FA for your accounts

While most social media platforms, email services and banks enforce the use of two-factor authentication for additional security, there may be some services that do not use such security measures.

If you are logging in or entering confidential information like passwords or card information on an unknown website, make sure to double-check if the website is real and in general, avoid entering passwords on third-party services and websites you are not familiar with as these might be used by scammers to steal your login credentials.

Beware of bank impersonators

With scammers now using a combination of artificial and human intelligence to spoof voice and phone numbers of reputable banks, make sure you are extra careful before sharing any personally identifiable or sensitive information online or on a phone call.

Indian banks have repeatedly stated that no official bank representative will ask you details like your card number or PIN, so if you get such calls from an unknown or official-sounding number, make sure you end them since a scammer may be trying dupe you of your money.

Steer clear of giveaways

One of the most commonly used tactics used by scammers is to lure users by asking them to participate in fake giveaways. Even if you get a message or email from someone you know saying that they are participating in a giveaway, steer clear of them as it is most likely a scam.

While not every scam will dupe you of your money, many fake giveaways ask users to enter sensitive information like their email address, phone number and birthday, which is then often sold by these threat actors on the dark web.

In some cases, scammers may also ask you for details like your credit or debit card number so you can get the cash price or gift, so if you find yourself in a similar situation, just disconnect the call or stop texting.

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