Holiday scams prove costly
A new report from cyber safety brand Norton has revealed that 28 percent of New Zealanders have fallen victim to scams during holidays seasons, losing on average NZ$509.
The report also showed that almost a quarter of New Zealanders are still willing to take more risks, such as buying online from an unknown seller and clicking on advertisements, when shopping during a holiday season.
Nearly two in five Kiwi adults (38 percent) also admit to risking their personal information or privacy during holidays, many by posting a picture of their travel destination or tagging their current location on social media.
The results also show that while people are aware of the risks online, many still make holiday purchases by clicking on questionable advertisements on social media, putting themselves at risk of fraud. The research was conducted online in August 2022 among 1001 New Zealand adults by The Harris Poll.
This year, respondents name toys, books or board games, smartphones, smart watches, and gaming consoles as the most sought-after gifts. Half of those surveyed were willing to take various actions this Christmas season to get a coveted gift, with 30 percent prepared to spend more than three hours searching online.
Thirteen percent were also prepared to risk their personal or online safety by sharing personal information.
To help New Zealanders stay safer this holiday season, Norton recommends these key actions to avoiding risks while shopping online:
Stick to reputable retailers
Check seller ratings, and preferably purchase from retailers with a physical address, a customer service phone number and a professional-looking site. Warning signs of sketchy sites include poor spelling, odd design and slow loading.
Look out for fake websites
Fraudsters may set up fake websites of products that don’t exist so they can collect payments for goods they’ll never send.
Avoid suspicious links from social media advertisements or unfamiliar emails
Don’t click on suspicious links even if they look attractive. Stay vigilant and don’t fall for the cheap price tag.
If you get a message, an email or text about an item you didn’t order, stop and think
If you’re unsure whether a message is legitimate, contact the business through established channels you can find, chat through their website or call their customer service phone number.
Use a virtual private network (VPN)
when making online purchases on public or unsecured Wi-Fi.
Use reputable online safety tools
Identity theft is an ongoing concern, with people’s personal data used to take out loans and secure credit cards in the victim’s name.
To view the full result of the survey, visit
newsroom.nortonlifelock.com
