Protect those you love from internet scams this Valentine’s Day

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February is a great month to refresh your cyber awareness skills. February 11 marks Safer Internet Day, encouraging us to work together to make the internet a safer and better place. It’s the perfect time to learn more about cybersecurity risks and best practices for protecting yourself and your loved ones online.

And while February 14 usually means love is in the air, Valentine’s Day is also a popular day with internet scammers. In 2024, romance scams alone led to losses tallied to $3.8 billion according to the Nasdaq 2024 Global Financial Crime Report. Don’t be wooed by too-good-to-be-true offers, online dating scams, and fraudulent websites. Stay informed about common scams and take action to stay safe.

Common Valentine’s Day scams

Online dating scams
AI-powered phishing scams are on the rise, impersonating popular online dating platforms. Scammers send fake match emails with malicious links, pretending to be from legitimate dating websites.
📌 Tip: Look for misspellings in the dating website name or web address and check the “from field” to make sure it’s a real address.

Trust your instincts
If something feels off—like a relationship escalating too quickly or seeming too perfect—listen to your gut.
📌 Tip: Scammers often use rapid declarations of love to emotionally manipulate their victims.

Be cautious with platform switching
Think twice before moving a conversation off a dating app to a less secure platform.
📌 Tip: Scammers often push for this to avoid detection.

Phony gift and delivery services
Scammers often lure victims with heavily discounted flowers, gifts, or even romantic getaway deals on unknown websites. These fraudsters go to great lengths to create the appearance of being legitimate florist, gift basket retailer, or travel agent, setting up websites, placing ads on social media, and sending emails. You go to the website enter your information and credit card details only to receive nothing or something that is not what you ordered.
📌 Tip: Always verify websites by checking for HTTPS in the URL and reading online reviews before making a purchase.

E-card and gift card scams
While digital greeting cards and gift cards are a convenient way to spread love, they’re also a common tool for cybercriminals. Scammers send fake e-cards that contain malware or gift card phishing emails asking you to redeem them on fraudulent websites.
📌 Tip: Never open e-cards from unknown senders, and never purchase gift cards as payment for someone you haven’t met in person.

How to protect your heart, computer, and wallet from these scams

Do your research
Before opening email or clicking links make sure they are being sent to you by a reputable brand. Webroot Secure VPN + AntiVirus offer real-time protection for your connection and devices while you are browsing the internet.

Be cautious sharing personal information
Don’t share sensitive information like credit card details or home address with any website or person unless you are confident in their identity. Consider investing in identity protection security solutions that will monitor the web for unauthorized usage and credit report monitoring, such as Webroot Premium.

Secure your devices and backup your data
Ensure your devices have the latest security updates installed. Use Carbonite’s secure, automatic computer backup solution to protect important files from cyber threats.

Strengthen your passwords and use two-factor authentication
Make sure to use complex and unique passwords, incorporating letters, numbers and symbols. Consider enabling multi-factor authentication (MFA) for extra security—this helps verify your identity with a second step, like a text or email code. Solutions such as Webroot Premium and Webroot AntiVirus include passwords managers to making it easier to remember all your passwords.

Use an all-in-one device, privacy, and protection solution
For complete device, privacy, and identity protection, consider a solution like Webroot Premium and get the best of all worlds –threat detection, password manager, dark web monitoring, and real-time virus protection.

Let’s stay cyber resilient this February and keep Valentine’s Day scam-free! 💙

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The post Protect those you love from internet scams this Valentine’s Day appeared first on Webroot Blog.

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