People are particularly vulnerable to online scams during the busy holiday season, says a cyber security expert, as the number of online shopping rip-offs explode.
According to scamwatch.gov.au, online shopping scams were up 42 per cent this year by late November. The watchdog said it had received more than 12,000 reports of online shopping scams and almost $7 million had been lost.
RMIT’s Professor Matt Warren has told FIVEAA’s Graeme Goodings:
“Christmas is a very stressful time. We don’t have a lot of spare time, we’re trying to find presents and bargains and all of a sudden you get these emails in your inbox that are these great deals and.
“People don’t think about what they’re doing, they just think I’ve got to get that present… they forget about the potential…
“it’s an awareness issue because at this time of year people are a little bit stressed.”
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According to Scamwatch, the most common product for online shopping scams so far this year has been pets.
Top ten products for online shopping and classified scams:
