Beware Bargain Hunters: Online Safety for Holiday Shopping

"Cyber-Monday" this year saw e-tailers pull out all the stops for consumers tracking down the best deals - including eBay's $1 Corvette giveaway, among others. Some companies received enough traffic from deal-desperate shoppers to crash their sites (à la JCrew).
However, SPAMfighter wants to caution your readers that those hunting online for the best deals this holiday shopping season may well become the hunted as an influx of increasingly stealthier spam (such as some now using the VeriSign symbol), phishing and other online scams are anticipated to track down and strike vulnerable consumers this month (even the restaurant industry has been hit with a new holiday reservation scam).
From inbox-clogging spam promising too-good-to-be-true deals on name brand luxury watches and handbags to fraudulent emails to Hotmail account holders to dangerously sophisticated phishing emails , consumers need to band together and be vigilant to protect themselves against cybercrime this holiday shopping season. Here are our easy recommendations...
SPAMfighter's Top Tips for Online Holiday Safety:
- Never make a purchase or donate money through an unsolicited e-mail offer. If the offer sounds too good to be true, it usually is.
- Holiday charity scams are a favorite technique of cyber-criminals. Donate through the trusted organization's website directly.
- Create a separate free email account for online shopping to avoid potential online threats and keep track of your online purchases.
- Before you shop online, download the latest spam filter protection - don't rely on a PC program from last year.

SPAMfighter is a free anti-spam alternative on the market that helps families to quickly and easily protect themselves by enabling users to be a part of the solution and to take action. SPAMfighter's unique community approach combines a proven rules-based engine with a Global Neighborhood Inbox Watch approach to fighting spam, made up of over five million active "spam fighters" that watch, block and eliminate spam 24/7.

Thanks for helping us keep families educated, protected and happy this holiday shopping season!

Happy Holidays,

The SPAMfighter team

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