In a couple of days we will be celebrating Halloween. Some of us will be booking family trips, others will be preparing for themed parties with interesting costumes and fun games. To make it easy for their customers, various online companies offer goodies along with Halloween necessities. You might even receive emails from them regarding discounts and freebies. However, in a frenzy to get ready for this long awaited event, do not get carried away if suddenly you see an out of this world offer like the ones listed below.
While some organizations will offer reasonable discounts, others offer the sun and the moon in lieu of your purse or your personal details. Spammers have laid snares for unsuspecting Internet users ready to fall for these offers.
For example, you might decide to shop around for a new car this Halloween or you might want to do some last minute online purchases for your child. Spammers, keeping these needs in mind have already prepared an array of options tempting enough to lure their prey. We have collected a few such examples below, which could help you remain alert:
Subject: Halloween Price Slashes on All Cars, Trucks, SUVs
Subject: Halloween Costume Ideas
From: Halloween Costumes merle@[REMOVED]
So what can you do to protect yourself?
Before giving into the temptation of clicking on a link in an email, carry out the following checks:
- Is this an unsolicited email offer?
- Is this website authentic? Does it use any authentication services such as Verisign?
- Is the website asking for unnecessary personal information such as passwords or pin numbers?
While Symantec makes every effort to keep you protected, we urge you to take the necessary precautions to ensure your safety and to ensure that you have the latest antivirus updates.
Symantec wishes you a safe, secure, and memorable Halloween.
Thanks to Christopher Mendes for his contribution to this blog.