FROM DAILY MAIL: The FBI is warning Gmail, Outlook and all US email users to be on high alert as holiday scams surge, with cybercriminals infiltrating inboxes and draining victims’ bank accounts.
The agency flagged four major schemes that typically spike during the season: non-delivery scams, non-payment scams, auction fraud and gift card fraud.
In 2024 alone, Americans lost more than $785 million to non-payment and non-delivery scams, according to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).
Credit card fraud accounted for another $199 million in losses. Complaints routinely spike in the early months of the year, a trend the IC3 links to holiday shopping scams.
The public is warned to carefully look at emails and not to click on suspicious links or attachments in emails, websites, or social media posts. All it takes is one click to install malware on a device.
“Phishing scams and similar crimes get you to click on links and give up personal information like your name, password, and bank account number,” the FBI said.
“Be especially wary if a company asks you to update your password or account information,” the FBI warned. “Look up the company’s phone number on your own and call the company.”
The scams they warned about include:
- non-delivery scams, where you pay for goods or services you find online, but you never receive your items
- non-payment scams, where you ship purchased goods or services, but you never receive payment for them
- auction fraud, where a product you purchase was misrepresented on an auction site
- gift card fraud, where a seller asks you to pay with a pre-paid card
READ MORE AT DAILY MAIL
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