1. Holiday Season is Scam
Season!
Gravel Hill Baptist Church
Richmond, VA
2. Holiday Season is Scam Season!
Tom Huskerson is a USAF Veteran who began studying the internet
at San Francisco State University.
As an instructor at FSI SAIT Tom is teaching Cybersecurity Policy
and Risk Management.
Tom has studied and completed executive level cybersecurity
programs at Harvard University and is certified as an Information
Security Manager by ISACA. He is currently studying for the CMMC
exam.
In 2014 Tom published "Online Scams Greatest Hits." The book
targeted the average consumer and has been adopted as text at
the University of Bengali in India.
Tom Huskerson
Huskersontf@state.gov
3. Holiday Scams 2023
INTRODUCTION
Good cybersecurity is not task or job duty. It is a
mindset that carries over from home to work and
vice-versa.
At home your cybersecurity should mirror your
physical home conditions.
Keep your computer clean.
Keep your computer secure.
Keep your computer up to date.
4. Holiday Scams 2023
Keep it clean.
Clean up your computer of old, unused and
unsupported software, apps and files.
There could be security vulnerabilities you
don’t know about.
Some of these applications or software
could be doing things behind your back!
5. Holiday Scams 2023
Keep it secure.
Use strong passwords.
Lock down your information and money by implementing
multifactor authentication on your sensitive websites
(banking, shopping, etc).
Use a reputable anti-virus software from a reputable
source and keep it up to date.
Use a strong password on your router and change it
frequently.
Make sure all your devices are secured against intrusion
and are regularly updated.
6. Holiday Scams 2023
Keep it secure
Be alert to phishing and social
engineering attacks.
If they ask for money, you ask the
question!
Don’t share your information with anyone
you don’t know.
7. Holiday Scams 2023
Keep it up to date
Old computers lead to new problems. Update
your computer and its operating systems
regularly (every 3-4 years).
Hackers are looking for old computers and old
software.
Old versions of software sometimes have un-
patchable security flaws.
8. Holiday Scams 2023
Lets starts with some fundamentals;
• Always be willing to say no AND MEAN
IT!
• If someone asks you for money you
should be the one asking the questions!
• BE ASSERTIVE! Hang up the phone or
close the door!
• Stick with who and what you know.
9. Holiday Scams 2023
Holiday Scams costs Americans over $6
Billion annually
Including;
• $337 Million in online shopping and
non-deliver scams.
• $173 million in credit card fraud.
• Nearly 75% of Americans experienced
at least one holiday
scam last year.
10. Holiday Scams 2023
Fake Charities – Scammers create
fake charities and heart-
breaking stories to generate cash
using services like
GoFundme.com.
11. Holiday Scams 2023
Gift Card Scams -
• Unlike credit cards and debit cards, gift
cards are almost
impossible to trace.
• Never pay bills or send money using
gift cards.
• Never share your gift card number.
• Only buy gift cards from reputable
retailers
12. Holiday Scams 2023
Never ever use cash payment apps, debit
cards or gift cards to shop online or pay
bills.
These payment tools are non-refundable
and non-reversible.
The safest way to shop online is to use your
credit card.
13. Holiday Scams 2023
Fake Websites - More people than ever
before shop online.
It’s important to know how to shop online
safely.
Duplicate or fake online stores lure you
with deeply discounted prices designed to
trick you into divulging your credit card
number
and other personal information.
14. Holiday Scams 2023
Which of these is the real Walmart URL?
A) www.wallmart.us
B) www.walmart.com
C) www.walmartdiscount.com
D) www.walmartstores.com
15. Holiday Scams 2023
Fake Websites
TIP!
Write down the web addresses to all the
websites you visit on a regular basis.
Learn to recognize the address when you
see it. And be alert if something does not
look right!
16. Holiday Scams 2023
Phishing Email & Texts - During the holiday
season, scammers send phishing messages
claiming to be from
companies like Amazon or Apple and offer
special discounts or claim that your
account has been hacked.
17. Holiday Scams 2023
Be especially alert to “Black
Friday” and other special holiday
sales!
18. Holiday Scams 2023
Fake Holiday Postings – Easy money for little
work!
• Mystery Shopper
• Price comparison surveyors
• Package pick-up and delivery
All of these are designed to trick you into
surrendering sensitive personal information
like your Social Security number.
19. Holiday Scams 2023
Missed Delivery Scam - Many people expect
packages during the holiday season.
Scammers are sending fake delivery
notification text messages, in hopes that
you’ll click on the link.
These scam texts will take you to a fake
website designed to either steal your personal
information, ask for your credit card number or
fool you into
sending the scammers money.
20. Holiday Scams 2023
Grandparents Scam - This especially
insidious holiday scam mainly targets
senior citizens.
Scammers text or email posing as a
grandchild in trouble and ask for money
usually through wire transfers or gift cards.
According to the FBI, elder fraud costs
victims $3 billion in losses each year.
21. Holiday Scams 2023
The Free Give-Away Survey Scam -
Scammers also use social media to list fake
holiday giveaways or surveys that
offer gifts and “free cash” in exchange for
your personal
information.
22. Holiday Scams 2023
Don't ignore the warning signs of a scam.
Prices too good to be true!
Fraudsters often list items on platforms
like Facebook Marketplace at a steep
discounts and then ask you to pay
via payment apps such as Zelle or
Cash App.
These payments cannot be reversed!
23. Holiday Scams 2023
Public Wi-Fi Hacking
Resist the temptation to shop using public
Wi-Fi.
Unsecured Wi-Fi networks, such as hotels,
airports, Starbucks, even public libraries
are notoriously easy to hack.
Scammers can see everything you do on
these unsecured Wi-Fi networks.
24. Holiday Scams 2023
Holiday Airfare Scam - Many people are
looking for cheap
airline tickets for
the holiday season. Scammers are
targeting travelers with schemes ranging
from bogus
flight-booking websites fraudulent
flight cancellation
emails and sudden price increases.
25. Holiday Scams 2023
Porch Pirates Mail and Package Thefts - With
packages, orders, and cards coming to your
home throughout the holiday season, porch piracy
is on the rise.
Scammers look for cards containing cash and gift
cards, as well as packages that they can steal and re-
sell.
Even worse, if scammers steal mail with your
sensitive information such as your credit card or
bank statements they could steal your identity.
26. Holiday Scams 2023
Secret Santa/Secret Sister Scam – These are
often simple Ponzi schemes. Know who you
are dealing with before you
give money.
27. Holiday Scams 2023
Card Skimmers and Shoulder Surfing - Holiday
scams don’t just happen online.
Shoulder surfing occurs when scammers listen in or
spy on you as you enter your card details in public.
Skimming devices steal your credit and debit card
information when you use unsecured ATMs such as
at gas stations,
Convenience stores or outside your normal bank or
credit union.
28. Holiday Scams 2023
There are numerous sources you can use to help you
avoid
or report scam if you become a victim.
• ReportFraud.ftc.gov
• IC3.gov (Internet Crime Complaint Center)
• BBB.org/scamtracker (BBB ScamTracker)
• State and Local authorities
• Your financial institutions
• Friends, neighbor and co-workers
