As the coronavirus continues to ravage the country, more and more Americans have turned to the internet for their shopping needs. In an effort to mitigate their exposure to the virus, they have unknowingly become victims of an entirely different malady: e-commerce fraud. A wave of new fraudulent shopping websites have popped up all over the internet claiming to offer a variety of popular goods. These fraudulent websites are advertised across a variety of social media platforms and look similar to a typical e-commerce site, other than the fact they are advertising common household goods at much lower prices. As one can imagine, these lower prices entice buyers to “purchase” items only to find that there are no legitimate items to be purchased. These sites require online payment and the layout looks similar to traditional e-commerce sites. Upon payment, however, the scammers receive their money, but the customers never receive their products.
The FBI is warning consumers to watch out for these fraudulent e-commerce sites because they are allowing thieves to steal credit card information once it’s entered into the payment system. The minute a customer checks out from their online shopping experience, their credit card information is immediately skimmed from the website. Among the indicators of fraudulent activity include the use of top-level domains, “.club” and “.top” web addresses that have been newly registered within the past six months. Furthermore, these internet scammers utilize a private domain registration service that is undetectable in the Whois Public Internet Directory.
If you or someone you know has been the victim of a fraudulent e-commerce activity, you are urged to report it to the Internet Crime Complaint Center or a local FBI field office.
Your business is important and that’s why it’s recommended to work with a trusted cyber security partner like Contextual Security. We offer a personal, customized plan to help your business navigate cyber threats and we are committed to helping you develop a plan that fits your needs and budget. To learn more about our services, check us out at contextualsecurity.com or call and speak with one of our knowledgeable representatives 844-526-6732. You can also email us with any questions at [email protected].
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