Valentine’s Day is fast approaching and people all across the world are already preparing for the most romantic date on the calendar.
Valentine’s Day is a time to celebrate love, but, unfortunately, cybercriminals view it as an opportunity to exploit emotions for their malicious gains. As we gear up to exchange tokens of affection with our loved ones, it’s crucial to stay vigilant against the rising tide of Valentine’s Day phishing scams.
The Allure of Romance
Valentine’s Day phishing scams often play on the emotions associated with love and romance. Cybercriminals are adept at crafting enticing emails, messages or social media posts that appear to be from a secret admirer or a long-lost love interest. These messages may contain subject lines like “A Valentine’s Day Surprise for You” or “Someone Has a Crush on You”. The goal is to lure unsuspecting individuals into clicking on malicious links or downloading infected attachments.
Fake E-Cards and Messages
One popular tactic employed by cybercriminals for Valentine’s Day phishing scams is the creation of fake electronic greeting cards or messages. These messages claim to contain a heartfelt note, a romantic poem or even a digital gift. However, clicking on the provided link can lead you to a phishing website designed to harvest your personal information, such as login credentials, credit card details or other sensitive data.
Online Shopping Deals
Valentine’s Day is synonymous with gift giving, and cybercriminals exploit this by promoting fake online shopping deals. Be cautious of unsolicited emails or social media ads advertising discounts on flowers, chocolates or romantic getaways. Clicking on these links may redirect you to fraudulent websites where scammers can steal your payment information or deploy malware onto your device.
Protecting Yourself from Valentine’s Day Phishing Scams
Firstly, Think Before You Click: Exercise caution when receiving unexpected messages, especially those with romantic overtones or promises of surprise gifts. Avoid responding, clicking links or opening attachments, or responding to requests. Denying the phisher engagement is a crucial step in protecting your information.
Romance Fraud
Romance fraud involves people being duped into sending money to criminals who go to great lengths to gain their trust and convince them that they are in a genuine relationship. They use language to manipulate, persuade and exploit so that requests for money do not raise alarm bells.
It is important that no matter how long you’ve been speaking to someone online and how much you think you trust them, if you have not met them in person it’s important that you do not:
- send them any money
- allow them access to your bank account
- transfer money on their behalf
- take a loan out for them
- provide copies of your personal documents such as passports or driving licences
- invest your own money on their behalf or on their advice
Remember profile photos may not be genuine; do your research first. Performing a reverse image search on a search engine can find photos that have been taken from somewhere or someone else.
If you think you have been a victim of a romance fraud, do not feel ashamed or embarrassed – you are not alone. Contact your bank immediately and report it to the police if you have sent money to the fraudster.
Cybercriminals are adept at exploiting our emotions, and phishing scams continue to evolve in sophistication. By staying informed, thinking before clicking and employing cyber security best practices, you can protect both your heart and your data from falling victim to Valentine’s Day phishing scams. Stay safe, stay secure, and have a happy Valentine’s Day!
David Thomas is president of Safe Communities Portugal