Consumers are buying new gifts and hackers are finding new ways to scam

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – With the holidays right around the corner, scammers are on the hunt for new ways to trick consumers.

As the holidays are approaching, hackers are on the rise.

Michael Bruemmer, the Vice President and Head of Global Data Breach Resolution and Consumer Protection at Experian, says, “Early detection about any potential things, whether it’s a simple email, a text, or phone call to an individual, could be an attack.”

He believes that the many hackers behind the screen are teenagers.

There are plenty of simple, yet effective precautions you can take to keep yourself safe online.

This includes being careful with ads on social media and donation requests.

Bruemmer adds, “Teens are being recruited in spaces, and in some cases, the dark web is a place that you don’t want to operate in. There’s not anything good that happens out there.”

Local experts from LiteFoot Technology say you can keep your family’s private information safe by following these simple tips.

“The first thing you want to do is be suspicious of your emails,” says Randy Helms, the Vice President of Technical Operations. “Don’t trust the source unless you know the source, keep long passwords, don’t reuse passwords, and maybe use a password vault.”

Other simple precautions can include but are not limited to being cautious with social media ads and donation requests.

If that transaction involves a wire transfer or prepaid credit card, these could be signs of red flags.

Vincent Brannan, LiteFoot Technology’s President, says, “There are tools out there that can help you with that and can recognize that for you, but you’ve got to be very vigilant all the time and pay attention to what you’re doing.”

We’ve added a list of common holiday scams from the BBB to help community members keep an eye out for traps.