Alright lets be honest here, every time is the time for cyber crimes in our modern day lives, but the holidays tend to bring more to the for front than most.
While days like Black Friday and Cyber Monday drive shoppers to bargains in stores and online for their holiday gift purchases, the cyber criminal also plans ahead. Sending out Phishing emails from supposed banks, reporting account issues. It includes a link to the "website" which looks like the bank's site, but isn't. The user attempts to login and BAM personal information stolen. OR even more clever, the criminals send out sale announcement type email with a popular store or brand. Luring the customers to click on the link inside the email that again takes them to a fake website that looks like the real one, getting them to buy items and stealing their information. The customers never get their items and their privacy has been compromised.
How do consumers avoid this? Well there are a few things to remember. Never click on links inside emails, just go directly to the site. Also check the site for security; it will have a https vs. http AND many have a icon that looks like a pad lock either in the top of the browser window or the bottom.
The big thing is to go slow, double check everything, keep confirmation emails/numbers for all purchases, use a credit card (those are easier to fight a identity theft problem, and if it seems to good to be true...it probably is. And keep in mind that while Black Friday and Cyber Monday may have gone, the criminals and their attempt to trick you, have not.
Source: http://www.cnet.com/news/cyber-monday-beware-the-malware/
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