Valentines Scams

Roses are Red, Violets are Blue...

Don’t you just love Valentine’s Day (or love to hate it)?! It’s a time when we celebrate love and exchange cards, candy, gifts and flowers with our loved ones. Cyber criminals love Valentine’s Day too! From spreading malware and launching phishing campaigns, to online shopping fraud schemes, cyber criminals hit the love jackpot this time of year. Remain vigilant, and read on to learn the common tricks criminals use to dupe their love-struck victims.

Avoid Valentine’s Day-related spam. The bad guys send messages with subject lines like those below, and their emails are ready to spread malware or scam you in some way.

• Subject: Pre Valentine Discount Code
• Subject: Pre Valentine Day discounts
• Subject: Valentines Day is Getting Closer! Order Flowers for Her Right Now!
• Subject: Someone sent you a Valentine Message
• Subject: Best Valentine's Day Bouquets on Sale!
• Subject: Don't go Broke over Valentines Day, Quick and Easy Loans Here
• Subject: You Will Lose 28 Lbs of Fat By Valentines Day
• Subject: Send FREE eCards this VALENTINES DAY

Also be aware of promotional emails from legitimate-sounding businesses as they could be fake. For example, a flower-delivery service appears to send a normal promotional e-mail, but the links actually infect your computer with a virus. Or, you get an email appearing to be from your bank claiming something is wrong with your credit card, sparking fear that those flowers won't be sent to your significant other, but it’s a scam to obtain your personal information.

An excellent rule of thumb is to NEVER open an email or click on a link from a sender you do not know.

Also remember that if an offer sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Beware of coupons which require you to click a link to redeem it; you may get more than a coupon code. If you are making purchases online, use reputable shopping sites and type the URL of the business into your browser, rather than going through any links that have been sent to you.

Cyber criminals are trying to play to your emotions this Valentine’s Day, so keep your guard up.