Online criminals to 'target popular Christmas products'

2009-11-24

Internet scammers are likely to target the hottest Christmas gifts to attack online consumers and steal their personal data, it has been claimed.

According to internet security experts F-Secure, the video game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, merchandise relating to the Michael Jackson film This is It and the Nintendo Wii will all be among the gifts that cybercriminals will look to exploit.

Chief research officer at the group Mikko Hypponen commented that search engine scams have become a highly lucrative tactic for cybercriminals.

He added: "We strongly urge people to only shop on trusted ecommerce websites, using their individual site search engines. If that's not a possibility, perform a 'safe link' check on unknown URLs."

Last month, the Internet Advertising Bureau revealed that increasing numbers of Brits are sharing their personal details online, with 50 per cent more people now more comfortable in doing so than five years ago.

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