Hardware’SilkSpecter' hacking operation uses sophisticated ring of 4,700 spoofed storefronts to dupe shoppers looking for Black Friday deals—here’s how to avoid getting scammedWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
Hardware’SilkSpecter' hacking operation uses sophisticated ring of 4,700 spoofed storefronts to dupe shoppers looking for Black Friday deals—here’s how to avoid getting scammedWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: rob dobi via Getty Images)
Sometimes a Black Friday deal really is too good to be true. As you might already suspect, the fast approaching winter quarter is prime time for scammers, and every year fake online storefronts become more sophisticated, working harder than ever before to part you from your hard-earned cash.
The Guardianreports that last Christmas shoppers in the UK lost £11.5m to scams leveraging a sophisticated arsenal of social media posts, online marketplaces, and AI. The newspaper notes that fairytale deals on high-end tech is just one tactic cybercriminals use to dupe shoppers.
If you needed further convincing of just how widespread the issue is, theEclecticIQ threat research teamhave identified a ring of close to 4,700 fake online storefronts targeting shoppers specifically looking for Black Friday discounts across the US and Europe (viaBleepingComputer).
These spoofed sites can convince at a glance, but closer inspection of their URLs will reveal an unusual top-level domain like ‘.shop’ or ‘.store’. Many of these webpages will encourage shoppers to use legitimate payment methods such as Stripe, but it’s not just your money these fake fronts are after.
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During the purchase process, victims are also prompted to volunteer their phone number, and ElectricIQ theorises this is so that hackers can then “conduct vishing (voice phishing) or smishing (SMS phishing) attacks, deceiving victims into providing additional sensitive information, such as 2FA codes, personal identification details, or even account credentials.”
If you’re still not sure, you can run a suspicious URL through Get Safe Online’sCheck a Website tool, which will cross reference it against a number of cybersecurity databases for a general vibe check. If the results are mixed, don’t click it.
You should also generally be wary of clicking on random webpage ads, links in social media posts, or links pushed to the top of Google Search or otherwise marked as ‘Sponsored.’ If something doesn’t look right, it’s best to open a fresh browser window to see if you can access the same deal another way.
Your next machine(Image credit: Future)Best gaming PC: The top pre-built machines.Best gaming laptop: Great devices for mobile gaming.
Your next machine
(Image credit: Future)Best gaming PC: The top pre-built machines.Best gaming laptop: Great devices for mobile gaming.
(Image credit: Future)
Best gaming PC: The top pre-built machines.Best gaming laptop: Great devices for mobile gaming.
In addition to double and triple-checking who you’re giving your details to, you should also ensure you have security features like multi factor authentication enabled for your key accounts.
As for money, you should regularly check your bank account for any transactions you don’t recognise, and EclecticIQ additionally suggests setting up a virtual ‘dummy’ credit card with a set spending limit that can be quickly cancelled if it becomes compromised.
On the other side of the coin, the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau analysed reports made to Action Fraud between November 2023 and January 2024, and found theaverage age of scam victims was 42.Scams like the spoofed ‘SilkSpecter’ storefronts count on your complacency—so don’t make it easy for them.
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