Christmas is all about spreading charity and cheer, but unfortunately, cybercriminals aren’t too far behind with their schemes. This year, keep an eye on your outgoings because bad agents are hoping you won’t notice them using your credit card under the heap of Christmas purchases.
5 Million Credit Card Details Have Leaked Online
As reported and spotted by Leakd, scammers have amassed five terabytes of compromised credit card details screenshots. The cybercriminals got their hands on these details by giving people too good to be true deals, offering items such as “free iPhones or heavily discounted holiday gifts.”
These offers would usually ask for a small fee or a subscription to unlock the special gift. It will also add a timer to the offer to encourage the target to go through the process quickly without thinking about what they’re doing.
Unfortunately, these items would never arrive; instead, the cybercriminals harvested the details and uploaded them onto an insecure online server that others could access. And now that people are spending a lot over Christmas, it would be easier for bad actors to sneak in a few unwanted transactions here and there.
If you’ve recently entered your details into a form that promised you something amazing, there’s a good chance your details have been compromised. Contact your bank and see what you can do to get the card canceled and receive a new one.
If you’re worried about someone using your card, keep an eye on your bank statement and scrutinize any purchases you don’t recognize. If you conclude that someone must have used your card without your knowledge or permission, it’s a good idea to call your bank and see what can be done.
Unfortunately, credit card theft is only one of the many tricks cybercriminals pull during Christmas. We’re also seeing a huge influx of text-based scams impersonating delivery companies aiming to take advantage of people ordering things online.
