{"id":2536,"date":"2020-12-08T12:34:03","date_gmt":"2020-12-08T09:34:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailsafi.com\/blog\/?p=2536"},"modified":"2020-12-08T15:11:19","modified_gmt":"2020-12-08T12:11:19","slug":"phishing-scams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mailsafi.com\/blog\/phishing-scams\/","title":{"rendered":"8 Phishing Scams to Watch out for this Christmas"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote\"><blockquote><p>Phishing scams: \u2018Tis the season to be jolly\u2026 but \u2018tis also the season to be cybersecurity alert.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The traditional Christmas and New Year season is a busy time for many people as they prepare for holidays, celebration, and shop for presents. Unfortunately, it&#8217;s also a busy time for scammers as they devise ways to scam others, often through phishing campaigns that try to trick people into divulging personal information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_49 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"ez-toc-toggle-icon-1\"><label for=\"item-69d4b72c79f22\" aria-label=\"Table of Content\"><span style=\"display: flex;align-items: center;width: 35px;height: 30px;justify-content: center;direction:ltr;\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/label><input  type=\"checkbox\" id=\"item-69d4b72c79f22\"><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/mailsafi.com\/blog\/phishing-scams\/#1_Phishing_Scams\" title=\"1. Phishing Scams\">1. Phishing Scams<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/mailsafi.com\/blog\/phishing-scams\/#2_Phishing_Scams_to_Watch_out_for_this_Holiday\" title=\"2. Phishing Scams to Watch out for this Holiday\">2. Phishing Scams to Watch out for this Holiday<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3'><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/mailsafi.com\/blog\/phishing-scams\/#21_Holiday_vacation_scams\" title=\"2.1. Holiday vacation scams\">2.1. Holiday vacation scams<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/mailsafi.com\/blog\/phishing-scams\/#22_Donate_to_charity_phishing_scams\" title=\"2.2 Donate to charity phishing scams\">2.2 Donate to charity phishing scams<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/mailsafi.com\/blog\/phishing-scams\/#23_E-card_phishing_scams\" title=\"2.3 E-card phishing scams\">2.3 E-card phishing scams<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/mailsafi.com\/blog\/phishing-scams\/#24_Canceled_trip_phishing_scams\" title=\"2.4 Canceled trip phishing scams\">2.4 Canceled trip phishing scams<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/mailsafi.com\/blog\/phishing-scams\/#25_Free_air_travel_ticket_phishing_scams\" title=\"2.5 Free air travel ticket phishing scams\">2.5 Free air travel ticket phishing scams<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/mailsafi.com\/blog\/phishing-scams\/#26_Shipping_notification_scams\" title=\"2.6 Shipping notification scams\">2.6 Shipping notification scams<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/mailsafi.com\/blog\/phishing-scams\/#27_Gift_cardcoupon_phishing_scams\" title=\"2.7 Gift card\/coupon phishing scams\">2.7 Gift card\/coupon phishing scams<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/mailsafi.com\/blog\/phishing-scams\/#28_Urgent_emails\" title=\"2.8 Urgent emails\">2.8 Urgent emails<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/mailsafi.com\/blog\/phishing-scams\/#3_Conclusion\" title=\"3. Conclusion\">3. Conclusion<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"has-vivid-red-color has-text-color wp-block-heading\" style=\"font-size:32px\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_Phishing_Scams\"><\/span>1. Phishing Scams<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A typical phishing scam starts off with an email in which the attacker impersonates a well-known brand, product, organization, or other entity. The goal is to trick the recipient into believing that the email is legitimate and is of great interest or importance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Anyone who clicks on a link or file attachment in the email is taken to a landing page where they&#8217;re asked to sign in with certain account credentials or provide sensitive data, which the attacker then captures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>An attacker may impersonate a well-known brand and inform you that you have won a prize sponsored by the company. To claim the prize, you may be instructed to enter your bank account details. As soon as you do, then these are compromised by the cybercriminals or sold on the Dark Web for the possibility of more profit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the past, many phishing emails and landing pages were amateurishly created, therefore, they were easier to identify as scams. However, over time, criminals have become more sophisticated. This means that some of the latest attacks may be much harder to detect, especially if you do not scrutinize them for mistakes and tell-tale signs of being ingenuine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote\"><blockquote><p>Don&#8217;t let scammers ruin your Christmas! <\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"has-vivid-red-color has-text-color wp-block-heading\" style=\"font-size:32px\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2_Phishing_Scams_to_Watch_out_for_this_Holiday\"><\/span>2. Phishing Scams to Watch out for this Holiday<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are 8 scams to watch out for this season and advice on how to avoid being a victim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"has-vivid-red-color has-text-color wp-block-heading\" style=\"font-size:26px\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"21_Holiday_vacation_scams\"><\/span>2.1<strong>. Holiday vacation scams<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>How it works:<\/strong> Despite the coronavirus pandemic, you may still be tempted to get away this season. But be wary of offers that seem too-good-to-be-true. Scammers have long been setting up fake travel sites to gather personal information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>How to avoid being scammed: <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Book your holidays through reputable websites and travel agents.<\/li><li>Check the sender address on any such suspicious emails you receive. The external site uses http:\/\/ instead of https:\/\/, and the email may be coming from @gmail.com or @yahoo.com. <\/li><li>Don&#8217;t enter any information on a third-party app or website.<\/li><li>Go directly to the source. Instead of clicking on a link within the email, go straight to the company\u2019s website or contact customer service first to verify.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"has-vivid-red-color has-text-color wp-block-heading\" style=\"font-size:26px\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"22_Donate_to_charity_phishing_scams\"><\/span>2.2 <strong>Donate to charity phishing scams<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>How it works:<\/strong> Charity frauds crop up whenever there\u2019s a disaster, but they also tend to increase around the holidays. The fraudsters will try to trick you into believing that you are donating money to a charity. In reality, the scammers are luring you and others to donate to charities that don&#8217;t exist. This year, phishing campaigns are likely to exploit <em>COVID-19<\/em> to convince people to donate to coronavirus-related charities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>How to avoid being a victim:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Go directly to the source. Be skeptical of emails claiming to be from companies or charities asking for donations. Instead of clicking on a link within the email, go straight to the company\u2019s website, or contact customer service.<\/li><li>Check the charity. Genuine charities are registered. Cross-check the organization\u2019s credentials with a public database to see if it&#8217;s genuine. Be careful to note the spellings of the charities. The genuine one may differ from the fraudulent one by as little as one letter.<\/li><li>Also, avoid responding to any unknown persons who ask for money upfront through an email.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"has-vivid-red-color has-text-color wp-block-heading\" style=\"font-size:26px\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"23_E-card_phishing_scams\"><\/span>2.3<strong> E-card phishing scams<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>How it works:<\/strong> You may receive one or more little flash programs spreading holiday cheer. Unfortunately, scammers have designed some that can install data-harvesting programs on your computer and do untold damage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>How to avoid being a victim:<\/strong> Don\u2019t click links in emails unless you know the sender.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"has-vivid-red-color has-text-color wp-block-heading\" style=\"font-size:26px\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"24_Canceled_trip_phishing_scams\"><\/span>2.4 <strong>Canceled trip phishing scams<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>How it works: <\/strong>You may have been stuck at home in lockdown mode for the better part of this year doing your best to quarantine. Now, a holiday to an exotic location sounds enticing. So you book your trip. Later, you receive an email informing you that your booking has been canceled due to the pandemic. The sender asks you to fill out a form to claim your refund. You recover from your frustration of a canceled holiday and eagerly fill in the forms. Unfortunately, the external form is a malicious one designed to capture your personal information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>How to avoid being a victim:<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Check the sender address on any such suspicious emails you receive. The external may be using http:\/\/ instead of https:\/\/, and the email may be coming from @gmail.com or @yahoo.com. These would be tell-tale signs that something isn&#8217;t quite right. <\/li><li>Go directly to the company&#8217;s website instead of clicking on a link within the email. <\/li><li>If you&#8217;re unsure, get contacts of customer service where you made your booking to verify the authenticity of the email.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"has-vivid-red-color has-text-color wp-block-heading\" style=\"font-size:26px\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"25_Free_air_travel_ticket_phishing_scams\"><\/span>2.5 <strong>Free air travel ticket phishing scams<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>How it works:<\/strong> You&#8217;re offered free air travel tickets from what seems to be a legitimate airline. The only requirement is to forward or share a link to the deal on your social media account. The catch? The link leads people to a phishing site where scammers try to capture their personal information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>How to avoid being a victim:<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Hover over links to verify the URL.&nbsp;If someone sends you an email with a link, hover over the link without actually clicking on it. This will allow you to see a link preview. Seeing the URL is important because, for example, if you\u2019re going to ABSA Bank website for instance, but the link says asba.com, that should be a red flag that scammers are trying to capture your personal information. Don\u2019t interact with the link and delete the email altogether.<\/li><li>Check the sender address on any such suspicious emails you receive.  The external site may be using http:\/\/ instead of https:\/\/, and the email may be coming from @gmail.com or @yahoo.com. <\/li><li>fDon&#8217;t enter any information on a third-party app or website.<\/li><li>Go directly to the source. Instead of clicking on a link within the email, go straight to the company\u2019s website or contact customer service first to verify.<\/li><li>Also, beware of social media requests. No airline or travel company will ask to sign in to your social networking accounts.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"has-vivid-red-color has-text-color wp-block-heading\" style=\"font-size:26px\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"26_Shipping_notification_scams\"><\/span>2.6 <strong>Shipping notification scams<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>How it works<\/strong>: This year, as even more people opt to shop online owing to the coronavirus pandemic, cybercriminals are more determined to launch phishing emails that impersonate shipping notifications. They know you\u2019ll receive unexpected packages this season and will send realistic-looking delivery failure notifications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They also know you will be keen to follow up and possibly reveal your personal info. These scam emails may include links to pages that will aim to trick you into signing into the impersonated website with your account credentials. In other cases, the emails come with file attachments that disguise themselves as receipts but actually contain malware designed to capture your keystrokes, install ransomware, or steal your data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>How to avoid being a victim:<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Don&#8217;t open attachments or click on links for external pages from suspicious email IDs.<\/li><li>Legitimate e-commerce sites will provide your shipping details in the body of the email and use a standard email address, such as <em>delivery@domain.com<\/em> or <em>customercare@domain.com<\/em>. Malicious emails use a more generic domain such as <em>kcb@gmail.com<\/em> or <em>mtncustomercar@yahoo.com.<\/em><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"has-vivid-red-color has-text-color wp-block-heading\" style=\"font-size:26px\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"27_Gift_cardcoupon_phishing_scams\"><\/span>2.7 <strong>Gift card\/coupon phishing scam<\/strong>s<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>How it works:<\/strong> Gift cards and coupons are an easy way to get money, a key reason why this type of cyberfraud is popular. As more people shop online for the holidays, more scammers are likely to use gift cards and coupons to steal money from unsuspecting consumers. In this scam, the phishing email typically creates a sense of urgency by offering a great deal on a popular product. But the attackers will ask for payment through gift cards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>How to avoid being scammed:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Be wary of any coupons that offer great deals and discounts on popular items. Scammers direct potential victims to spoofed landing pages where they are asked to enter personal data such as their credit card details.<\/li><li>Avoid giving any sensitive information through a webpage to people you don&#8217;t know or trust.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"has-vivid-red-color has-text-color wp-block-heading\" style=\"font-size:26px\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"28_Urgent_emails\"><\/span>2.8 <strong>Urgent emails<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"WZO3BIG27JDMHFAGWZAB2ALAMI\"><strong>How it works:<\/strong> Things having to do with the holidays and\/or COVID-19 are perfect excuses for urgent replies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote\"><blockquote><p>When it says urgent, take a step back before making a decision.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>How to avoid being scammed:<\/strong> As always, be wary when you see the word <em>urgent<\/em> in emails. Any emails that proclaim a great sense of urgency for you to take any action quickly \u201c<em>before time runs out<\/em>\u201d &#8211; is a red flag and is likely to lead to phishing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"has-vivid-red-color has-text-color wp-block-heading\" style=\"font-size:32px\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3_Conclusion\"><\/span>3. Conclusion<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>To avoid being a victim of phishing scams this Christmas, be extra vigilant if you receive any email communication that requires you to disclose your personal information such as your name, phone number, passwords, address, credit card or bank card number, ID, or social security number, and so on. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If in doubt about the institution or sender&#8217;s legitimacy, make calls to necessary persons to verify the communication&#8217;s authenticity before taking any action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Also, use a comprehensive security solution. Ensure you have an <strong><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mailsafi.com\/email-security\" target=\"_blank\"><span class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">email security service<\/span><\/a><\/strong> that offers you gateway spam, virus, and malware filtering. We also recommend ensuring you have installed up-to-date antivirus and antimalware on all your PCs and workstations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-vivid-red-color has-text-color\"><strong>Stay Alert, Stay Safe this Holiday Season!<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div><p id=\"pvc_stats_2536\" class=\"pvc_stats all  \" data-element-id=\"2536\" style=\"\"><i class=\"pvc-stats-icon large\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.0\" viewBox=\"0 0 502 315\" preserveAspectRatio=\"xMidYMid meet\"><g transform=\"translate(0,332) scale(0.1,-0.1)\" fill=\"\" stroke=\"none\"><path d=\"M2394 3279 l-29 -30 -3 -207 c-2 -182 0 -211 15 -242 39 -76 157 -76 196 0 15 31 17 60 15 243 l-3 209 -33 29 c-26 23 -41 29 -80 29 -41 0 -53 -5 -78 -31z\"\/><path d=\"M3085 3251 c-45 -19 -58 -50 -96 -229 -47 -217 -49 -260 -13 -295 52 -53 146 -42 177 20 16 31 87 366 87 410 0 70 -86 122 -155 94z\"\/><path d=\"M1751 3234 c-13 -9 -29 -31 -37 -50 -12 -29 -10 -49 21 -204 19 -94 39 -189 45 -210 14 -50 54 -80 110 -80 34 0 48 6 76 34 21 21 34 44 34 59 0 14 -18 113 -40 219 -37 178 -43 195 -70 221 -36 32 -101 37 -139 11z\"\/><path d=\"M1163 3073 c-36 -7 -73 -59 -73 -102 0 -56 133 -378 171 -413 34 -32 83 -37 129 -13 70 36 67 87 -16 290 -86 209 -89 214 -129 231 -35 14 -42 15 -82 7z\"\/><path d=\"M3689 3066 c-15 -9 -33 -30 -42 -48 -48 -103 -147 -355 -147 -375 0 -98 131 -148 192 -74 13 15 57 108 97 206 80 196 84 226 37 273 -30 30 -99 39 -137 18z\"\/><path d=\"M583 2784 c-38 -19 -67 -74 -58 -113 9 -42 211 -354 242 -373 16 -10 45 -18 66 -18 51 0 107 52 107 100 0 39 -1 41 -124 234 -80 126 -108 162 -133 173 -41 17 -61 16 -100 -3z\"\/><path d=\"M4250 2784 c-14 -9 -74 -91 -133 -183 -95 -150 -107 -173 -107 -213 0 -55 33 -94 87 -104 67 -13 90 8 211 198 130 202 137 225 78 284 -27 27 -42 34 -72 34 -22 0 -50 -8 -64 -16z\"\/><path d=\"M2275 2693 c-553 -48 -1095 -270 -1585 -649 -135 -104 -459 -423 -483 -476 -23 -49 -22 -139 2 -186 73 -142 361 -457 571 -626 285 -228 642 -407 990 -497 242 -63 336 -73 660 -74 310 0 370 5 595 52 535 111 1045 392 1455 803 122 121 250 273 275 326 19 41 19 137 0 174 -41 79 -309 363 -465 492 -447 370 -946 591 -1479 653 -113 14 -422 18 -536 8z m395 -428 c171 -34 330 -124 456 -258 112 -119 167 -219 211 -378 27 -96 24 -300 -5 -401 -72 -255 -236 -447 -474 -557 -132 -62 -201 -76 -368 -76 -167 0 -236 14 -368 76 -213 98 -373 271 -451 485 -162 444 86 934 547 1084 153 49 292 57 452 25z m909 -232 c222 -123 408 -262 593 -441 76 -74 138 -139 138 -144 0 -16 -233 -242 -330 -319 -155 -123 -309 -223 -461 -299 l-81 -41 32 46 c18 26 49 83 70 128 143 306 141 649 -6 957 -25 52 -61 116 -79 142 l-34 47 45 -20 c26 -10 76 -36 113 -56z m-2057 25 c-40 -58 -105 -190 -130 -263 -110 -324 -59 -707 132 -981 25 -35 42 -64 37 -64 -19 0 -241 119 -326 174 -188 122 -406 314 -532 468 l-58 71 108 103 c185 178 428 349 672 473 66 33 121 60 123 61 2 0 -10 -19 -26 -42z\"\/><path d=\"M2375 1950 c-198 -44 -350 -190 -395 -379 -18 -76 -8 -221 19 -290 114 -284 457 -406 731 -260 98 52 188 154 231 260 27 69 37 214 19 290 -38 163 -166 304 -326 360 -67 23 -215 33 -279 19z\"\/><\/g><\/svg><\/i> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" alt=\"Loading\" src=\"https:\/\/mailsafi.com\/blog\/wp-content\/plugins\/page-views-count\/ajax-loader-2x.gif\" border=0 \/><\/p><div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Phishing scams: \u2018Tis the season to be jolly\u2026 but \u2018tis also the season to be cybersecurity alert. The traditional Christmas and New Year season is a busy time for many people as they prepare for holidays, celebration, and shop for presents. Unfortunately, it&#8217;s also a busy time for scammers as they devise ways to scam [&hellip;]<\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"pvc_stats_2536\" class=\"pvc_stats all  \" data-element-id=\"2536\" style=\"\"><i class=\"pvc-stats-icon large\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.0\" viewBox=\"0 0 502 315\" preserveAspectRatio=\"xMidYMid meet\"><g transform=\"translate(0,332) scale(0.1,-0.1)\" fill=\"\" stroke=\"none\"><path d=\"M2394 3279 l-29 -30 -3 -207 c-2 -182 0 -211 15 -242 39 -76 157 -76 196 0 15 31 17 60 15 243 l-3 209 -33 29 c-26 23 -41 29 -80 29 -41 0 -53 -5 -78 -31z\"\/><path d=\"M3085 3251 c-45 -19 -58 -50 -96 -229 -47 -217 -49 -260 -13 -295 52 -53 146 -42 177 20 16 31 87 366 87 410 0 70 -86 122 -155 94z\"\/><path d=\"M1751 3234 c-13 -9 -29 -31 -37 -50 -12 -29 -10 -49 21 -204 19 -94 39 -189 45 -210 14 -50 54 -80 110 -80 34 0 48 6 76 34 21 21 34 44 34 59 0 14 -18 113 -40 219 -37 178 -43 195 -70 221 -36 32 -101 37 -139 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