Kansas State University

Nov. 30 is the first Monday after the Thanksgiving holiday — and is “Cyber Monday”, the now-traditional marketing event for finding big electronics and technology bargains online. According to Wikipedia’s Cyber Monday page, the term was first used during the 2005 holiday season.

Good sites for scoping out technology sales include:

• CyberMonday.com
• PriceWatch.com
• TigerDirect.com
• Shopzilla.com

Stay safe online while shopping

Don’t lose your head during all the sales and savings. Read security company McAfee’s Twelve Scams of Christmas, which it calls the “most dangerous online scams that computer users should be cautious of this holiday season.” (A more readable version may be Fox News’ Shopping on Cyber Monday? Beware the 12 Scams of Xmas based on McAfee’s list.)

The top six scams listed by McAfee are summarized below. Note that identity theft and clicking on e-mail links are still critical concerns.  (K-Staters have often been told how to identify an e-mail scam and reminded not to click links in suspicious e-mail.)

1. Charity Phishing Scams – Be Careful Who You Give To.
   Summary: Hackers send e-mails purportedly from “charitable organizations” but they point to fake websites for stealing money and identities.
2. Fake Invoices from Delivery Services to Steal Your Money.
   Summary: Fake e-mail bills and notices purportedly from legit delivery services attempt to steal information or install malware on your computer.
3. Social Networking – A Cybercriminal “Wants to be Your Friend”.
   Summary: Beware of clicking e-mail links in “New Friend Request” e-mails from social networking sites.
4. The Dangers of Holiday E-Cards.
   Summary: No surprise here — fake e-cards, fake holiday promotions, and fake PowerPoint attachments are all designed to get you to click a link.
5. “Luxury” Holiday Jewelry Comes at a High Price.
   Summary: McAfee has found a new holiday scam that lures luxury lovers to “malware-ridden sites claiming to offer discounted luxury gifts (and) even use fraudulent Better Business Bureau logos to trick shoppers into buying products they never receive.”
6. Practice Safe Holiday Shopping – Online Identity Theft on the Rise.
   Summary: Hackers try to spy on shoppers and steal personal information. McAfee tells users “never to shop online from a public computer or on an open Wi-Fi network.”

See McAfee’s Twelve Scams of Christmas for the complete list and more details.