How to get cyber-ready for a scam-free Christmas, Bitdefender style

Christmas is supposed to be a time of goodwill and happiness for all. You shouldn’t have to worry about falling victim to scammers and identity thieves or getting locked out of your accounts.

Unfortunately, increased digital activities and spending during the festive season also bring new waves of scams and fraud that can ruin quality time with your loved ones and the good cheer of Christmas.

As cybercrooks and swindlers step up their efforts to steal your money and data, here’s what you can do for a scam-free Christmas:

Protect your credit cards and information while browsing for last-minute Christmas gifts

You’ve probably heard this a thousand times by now, but e-shopping only on official websites is key to protecting your financial wellbeing. Scammers often create lookalike websites to trick consumers into handing out their credit cards.

Always use trusted platforms when shopping and avoid accessing unsolicited links to ‘special Christmas offers’ you receive via email, text or social media.

You can stay on top of scam websites by adding a security solution to your digital safety toolkit that offers real-time protection, blocking attempts to trick you into visiting a phony website. Additional benefits include a dedicated Windows browser that will keep your online shopping and banking private, alongside a trustworthy VPN that automatically encrypts your network traffic from snoops and cyberthieves.

Make yourself phish-resistant this holiday season

Phishing attacks also increase in the run-up to Christmas. You may receive phishing messages that appear to come from a bank, a well-known retailer or a delivery service that aims to steal your data, passwords and credit card numbers, or infect your device with malware.

Be wary of too-good-to-be-true deals, and online gift card giveaways, and scrutinize all incoming messages alerting you to suspicious activity on your accounts. Look for typos, grammar mistakes and confusing lingo. Never access links or download attachments from an unknown source, especially if you’re in a panic.

Bitdefender security solutions provide top-notch anti-phishing modules to keep you and your data safe. Protection also extends to your Android devices, with dedicated features such as Scam Alert and Chat Protection to alert you whenever you receive a malicious link via instant messaging apps on your Android phone.

Educate the seniors in your life about Christmas scams

Our parents and grandparents are also at risk of falling for a Christmas scam during the holiday season. Protect your family members from scammers who may impersonate their grandkids, service provider or a charity organization.

Take some time to talk about phone scams and advise your senior family members to never give out personal info, credit card numbers or social security numbers to individuals reaching out to them, no matter their claims.

Got a loved one struggling to secure their digital presence, finances and identity? Check out our all-in-one security suites to ensure that your family members are safe this Christmas and beyond, with award-winning anti-malware and ransomware protection, Premium VPN, Password Manager and identity theft protection, depending on your chosen plan.

Give your online privacy a boost and shield your identity against fraud

Fraudsters always benefit from weak cyber practices and oversharing. As a rule of thumb, never overshare information on social media or other online mediums. Protect your online accounts with strong passwords and monitor them for suspicious activity that may put you at risk of fraud.

Control the digital you and protect your privacy with 24/7 data breach monitoring that helps you discover the extent of your online presence and close down any privacy risks.

Grab a Bitdefender Digital Identity Protection tool or a Bitdefender Identity Theft Protection plan (US only) for more peace of mind amid growing data breaches and fraud cases.

Have a safe and scam-free Christmas everyone!