Bitdefender luckily it never stops warning us about cybercriminals, not even a Saint Valentine. The company has made available a report showing the danger of Valentine’s Day-themed spam, with fake discounts on items from famous brands.
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According to the report, cybercriminals favor spam campaigns to scam unsuspecting users and steal their sensitive data. In addition, these types of attacks increase during the holidays and Valentine’s Day is no exception.
Hence the warning to pay close attention to the coming weeks, even after February 14, due of the increase in phishing attempts via social media and SMS.
Among the main findings of the report we point out that:
- as many as 83% of Valentine’s Day-themed spam emails sent between January 22 and February 8 were flagged as scams;
- on February 6, spam peaked at 33%;
- the United States was the most affected country (45%) followed by Ireland and the United Kingdom;
- advertising campaigns for online dating, men’s stimulation pills and gifts increased significantly.
In particular, some examples of malicious campaigns have involved a online dating site spammed to men in UK; a floral arrangement valued at $100; discount coupons on teddy bears and jewelry.
How to defend yourself
First of all it is essential do not open emails or links considered suspicious (promotions that are too eye-catching should turn on a warning sign). Also, before proceeding with any purchase for Valentine’s Day, it’s always good do an online research on retailers.
Always check if they are in the advertisements spelling errors and try to contact only official resellers and brands.
As for dating platforms, always be wary of new acquaintances and never share personal dataas well as try to avoid accepting connection requests from unknown people.
Finally always use security systems to protect you from phishing, fraudulent websites and malware.