The majority of these emails lure Internet users with promotional offers on Halloween-themed travel or costumes. — AFP Relaxnews
Cybersecurity vendor Bitdefender has warned of an upsurge in online scams around Halloween. Spam campaigns and fake websites are playing on Internet users' credulity to extract personal information and money.
According to Bitdefender, inboxes around the world have been plagued by Halloween-themed spam since September. Over the last two months, 83% of spam received by Americans has been Halloween-related.
Far behind, in China and Germany, this theme accounted for just 6% and 4% respectively of all fraud attempts. In France, although present, Halloween-themed spam does not account for more than 1% of span, a rather marginal proportion.
The majority of these emails lure Internet users with promotional offers on Halloween-themed travel or costumes. The principle is always the same: to lure future victims to fraudulent websites where the scammers can collect personal information and money.
Keeping with the season, these pages mix Halloween-themed images with enticing promises of last-minute Halloween deals. "You've won a Halloween mystery box,” ‘Halloween sale’ or ‘October fall decor and goodie packs’ are just some of the catchphrases used by hackers to scam Internet users.
As a general rule, if you receive a suspicious email or text message, never click on any link and go directly to the dedicated website or app, if you know it.
In recent years, every major media event has been the theme of phishing campaigns, as with the Paris Olympics, Euro 2024, the war in Ukraine or the death of Queen Elizabeth II. – AFP Relaxnews
