Beware of Fake Delivery Updates This Season - Verify Before You Click

The holiday season brings joyful gatherings with loved ones, but also prime opportunities for scammers seeking quick paydays through online theft. Many fraudsters gain initial access by exploiting commonly reused passwords across multiple accounts, warns Chris Maxwell, a former Nigerian cybercriminal.

"Once you access passwords, you access social security numbers, driver's licenses, credit cards, bank accounts. It's very easy to do damage with that information," Maxwell described. Unsecured passwords represent the gateway for fraudsters to financially bleed victims dry.

A record $10.3 billion drained from Americans through online scams last year, Federal-2022 Trade Commission data shows. Louisiana saw 4,335 victims lose $55 million to internet fraud in 2021 alone. As the most wonderful time of year commences, citizens must remain vigilant to avoid adding to these sobering statistics.

Experts recommend several precautions limiting scammer success this season. Foremost, avoid password reuse across accounts and enable two-factor authentication when available. Password managers also provide security. Additionally, view unexpected shipping notifications with skepticism rather than clicking enclosed links.

"Go directly to shipper websites and enter tracking numbers instead," advised Social Catfish, an identity verification platform. This circumvents phishing attempts stealing credentials or identities. Financial precautions also hold value. Pay purchases on credit cards over digital payment methods like Bitcoin, PayPal or CashApp extending stronger fraud protections.

Three prevalent holiday scams requiring awareness include fake online stores, gift cards and shipping notifications. Scammers create imitation websites mimicking trusted brands touting incredible deals.

Links propagate through social media, but gifts never ship from these fake vendors. Confirm legitimacy by triple-checking the spelling of web addresses. Fake sites often appear one letter off.

Shoppers should also carefully vet gift card resellers prior to purchase. "Scammers sell cards that arrive with no balance available for spending," Social Catfish warned. Reverse image searches help confirm true identities of sellers upfront.

Meanwhile, the shipping notification scam employs phishing texts or emails expecting package arrivals. If recipients never ordered items, fraudsters intend stealing credentials or money through enclosed links. Exercise skepticism around these communications.

Vigilance requires particular emphasis this year as pandemic conditions send more commerce online, simultaneously increasing opportunities for cyber thieves. "Online shopping fraud reports spiked over 135% during peak 2021 holiday months compared to 2020," the cybersecurity firm SurfShark revealed through analysis.

Reports indicate multiple factors driving this surge. More consumers shift shopping traditionally conducted in-person to the internet for safety and convenience. Criminals noticeably ramp up phishing attempts this time annually also, targeting deal-seeking shoppers through social media platforms and online ads.

Statistics further show compromised passwords connected over one-third of last year's holiday season data breaches. The Identity Theft Resource Center recorded an 18% year-over-year jump in publicly exposed login credentials during November and December 2021.

"Weak and stolen passwords accounted for 37% of publicly reported data compromises. Password reuse continues plaguing consumers," said ITRC President and CEO Eva Velasquez. This central role in enabling fraud cements securing login credentials as paramount.

Investing a few minutes upfront creating unique, complex passwords pays dividends shielding finances from unlawful withdrawal. Security experts push 12 character passwords incorporating upper and lowercase letters, numbers and symbols as ideal. They also suggest a distinct password for every account.

Managing multiple passwords poses difficulty, driving many Americans toward unsafe practices like using one across all platforms or writing down codes. This exposes entire digital lives if the reused password leaks through a retailer breach.

Thankfully technology offers effective assistance absent risks of paper records. "We recommend password managers like LastPass or 1Password helping people generate and organize strong passwords," Velasquez stated. Features autofilling credentials on websites for convenience help motivate regular adoption.

Passwords act as the first but incomplete defense. Two-factor authentication adds critical secondary protection through requiring an extra step to access accounts. Users enter login details as usual but must then input a temporary code texted or emailed upon trying sign in. This safeguard means a compromised password alone cannot access platforms.

"Text or app-based authentication stops 99.9% of automated bot hacks trying previously exposed passwords across sites," explained Gary Davis, chief consumer security evangelist for cybersecurity leader McAfee. Davis reports seeing two-factor block thousands of account takeover attempts during 18 month testing.

Activating two-factor authentication requires just moments on most major sites including email, banking, social media, retail and crypto exchange accounts - settings typically located under privacy or security menus. Worries the extra step may hinder convenience appear largely unfounded.

Surveys indicate 95% of citizens utilizing two-factor authentication experienced no perceived loss of ease conducting online activities after adjusting initial login processes. And promisingly for widespread adoption, over 50% of Americans report willingness to enable extra authentication given education on effectiveness deterring fraud.

As holidays commence, citizens stand empowered preventing darkened seasonal spirits resulting from drained bank accounts through simple actions securing online identities. Avoiding password reuse, implementing secondary authentication and carefully inspecting suspicious communications break scammers' critical first links gaining access. This presents welcome peace of mind when gathering to celebrate with loved ones.