Tag Archive for: Shopping

How to avoid scams and theft during Cyber Monday shopping

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ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — Cyber Monday can be the last chance to save big time on holiday shopping but it’s also a day for criminals to steal your identity and banking information if you are not careful shopping online.  

Simply clicking on a sketchy link or ad sent to you can be the difference between hackers getting access to your personal information. Although it’s convenient to shop online and get what you want instantly, cyber security specialists urge you to take extra time to know if the sites are legit.

In 2021, research by Adobe found Americans spent about $10.8 Billion on Cyber Monday shopping. But as more customers participate in this digital age of holiday shopping, criminals also get more opportunities.  

“This is one of the most exciting times of the year for everybody, including cybercriminals,” Professor Jonathan Weissman of Computer Security at RIT said. “You have to remain extra vigilant and aware of everything you’re going now because cyber criminals are waiting.”  

In this day and age, cybercriminals can get their websites promoted to the top of any search engine to look legit. If you have any suspicion, cyber security experts encourage you to open a new browser and re-type the business name and products to look for matching results.  

“When you click on a malicious link you could be redirected to a site that looks like the site you think you’re doing business with,” Professor Weissman continued. “When you enter your credentials, they go right to the cybercriminals.”  

Making purchases over a public Wi-Fi connection can also be dangerous.  

Professor Weissman added, “You run the risk of going to an attacker’s access point and connecting to their network thinking you’re on a legitimate network and in essence, you can actually transfer all your information directly to the attacker.”  

Email and text message phishing is also becoming a common tactic where hackers install malware or ransomware within digital gift cards or links. Experts explain legit businesses almost never reach out with these types of attachments.  

“Ransomware will encrypt and lock your system,” Professor Weissman…

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Customer Authentication Tips for Safer Holiday Shopping

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The holiday shopping season represents a major chunk of annual revenue for retailers in virtually every sector. Per the National Retail Federation, sales grew over 14% to nearly $900 billion in November and December 2021; if they grow at the same rate this year, holiday retail sales will top $1 trillion in 2022. The holiday spirit, fueled by the rush to catch Black Friday bargains, has everyone spending, and $226 billion of these sales are happening online.

‘Tis the Season for Hacking

While it’s a great season for retailers, it’s also a cash-in season for hackers who take advantage of the hype. Their scams include fraudulent giveaways that harvest user details, fake firms that never supply goods or formjackers and card skimmers that insert malicious code into e-commerce sites. However, phishing, an old cybercriminal favorite, will still be the most prominent attack this holiday season. 

Phishing, especially with the exceptional rise in cheap and easy-to-use phishing-as-a-service kits, will disrupt plans, cost money and generally try to ruin the holidays for retailers and consumers alike. A typical attack sees the victim opening an email impersonating a trusted retailer, like Amazon. The email looks legitimate, except the link provided within it leads to a spoofed site where the attacker can steal the user’s login details and hijack their account. 

Why you Need Better Customer Authentication

Consumers are growing more aware of the dangers of online shopping. A recent survey by TransUnion found that the majority (54%) are concerned about being victimized by fraud this holiday season — up 17% from 2021. Confidence in the security of a retailer’s customer authentication processes directly affects consumers’ willingness to do business with them. The same survey reported a 40% increase in consumers stating that they would abandon a purchase due to lack of sufficient security. 

For retailers, providing more secure customer authentication isn’t just about allaying consumers’ fears, it’s about protecting their own business. A successful phishing attack on a customer can mean lost income due to redirected purchases and fraudulent orders, reputation damage and potential…

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McAfee® Mobile Security – Powerful Protection for Your Mobile Life

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How to easily scale your mobile workforce and devices for the peak shopping season

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Retailers are under constant pressure to streamline processes and become more efficient while looking for ways to improve customer satisfaction levels. These challenges are heightened during the lead-up to the festive season when the flow of goods in and out of Distribution Centres (DCs) and stores increases, and processes and workflows are put under strain.

Coming out of the pandemic, many retailers are trying to maintain lean operations to help speed up business recovery and struggling to find enough workers to meet demand. The outcome is that these businesses generally run a core team of full-time staff throughout the year, but then they will look to employ seasonal workers on a short-term basis to meet the demands of the industry’s traditional peak season.

While this process allows businesses to manage staff costs throughout the year, it unfortunately also puts pressure on retailer and DC managers to ensure short-term workers understand the processes and technologies and can operate as accurately and efficiently as permanent employees. 

Given the heightened activity many retail and warehouse environments experience in the lead-up to the peak shopping season, and the challenges around trying to incorporate less experienced seasonal workers, what should Australian businesses know to help them prepare? 

Utilise technology to improve processes

Regardless of if a DC is operating in a quiet or busy period, the practice of processing an order and shipping the right product at the right time to the right destination remains the same. In periods of peak operation, the pressure to ensure accurate orders are being distributed is heightened. 

Returned incorrect or incomplete orders must be repacked and redistributed, which impacts customer satisfaction, with 63% of customers wanting improvements to the returns and delivery processes in retail and 67% wanting real-time visibility into their Christmas orders from the moment they are processed. 

Warehouse stocking, order fulfilment and backend order processes all need to be robust enough to handle a huge ramp up in demand. This demand spans many operational departments, and technology needs to be implemented across as range…

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