SAN DIEGO — Amazon Prime Day or Crime Day?
The annual Amazon shopping extravaganza kicking off Tuesday, July 12 is offering bigger and better deals.
Online shoppers are scrolling for once a year deals, while cyber criminals are planning their own surprises.
"It always happens. Everyday is a great phishing day for cyber criminals. It's terrible," said Micki Boland, a global cybersecurity architect at Checkpoint.
Boland says emails are the most common medium that phishers use.
This email informs a customer of a cancelled order due to payment issues. The attachment contains malware.
"Never ever ever open attachments! These are red flags," said Boland.
Last year during the month of Amazon Prime Day (June 2021), there was an 86% increase in phishing emails relating to the occasion, and a 16% increase in phishing URLs compared to the previous month.
During June 2022, there were almost 1,900 new domains related to the term “Amazon” of which 9.5% were found to be risky - either malicious or suspicious.
"These guys that are sending these are super crafty. It will look legitimate," said Boland.
Here is what to look out for to avoid phishing emails:
- Fake domains
- Incorrect grammar
- Unusual attachments
- Psychological tricks ( like a sense of urgency)
- Suspicious requests
"If you feel like your account might be compromised, call Amazon," said Boland.
If you’re expecting an important Amazon package at your door, security experts say the best thing to do is make sure someone is home or have a ring camera.
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