Don't get scammed on Valentine's Day! Precautions to take against fraud
As Valentine's Day approaches—a time when couples search for gifts and singles are more eager to overcome their loneliness—many people are either trying to find the perfect gift for their partner or looking for a new relationship online. On this special day, cyber scammers use people's emotional vulnerabilities to target them with various fraud methods. Alev Akkoyunlu, Operations Director at Laykon Bilişim, the Turkey distributor of Bitdefender Antivirüs, shared the types of fraud frequently encountered on Valentine's Day.
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Valentine's Day, in addition to being a special day to celebrate love and affection, has become a risky period that creates new opportunities for cyber scammers. During this process, as people have both emotional and financial expectations, scammers exploit this sensitivity and use various methods to seize personal information. In particular, the increase in online shopping, the security vulnerabilities of singles looking for love, and the rush of couples wanting to buy gifts provide new areas for scammers. Experts, who state that to spend a safer Valentine's Day, one should only shop from reliable sites, not send money to unknown people, and verify the accuracy of incoming messages, draw attention to the most frequently encountered fraud methods on this special day.
1. FAKE ONLINE GIFT STORES
Scammers set traps with fake websites or social media advertisements where they offer popular gifts such as jewelry, flowers, and luxury goods at attractive prices on Valentine's Day. In purchases made on these sites that look realistic, the ordered products are either never sent or low-quality and counterfeit products are delivered to customers.
2. ROMANCE SCAMS
Online dating platforms used by singles who do not want to spend Valentine's Day alone are becoming an attractive target for scammers. Scammers targeting people looking for love through dating apps and social media gain trust by creating fake profiles. Over time, the scammers, who establish an emotional bond, request financial assistance under excuses such as an emergency, health problem, or travel expenses, and disappear after receiving the money.
3. PHISHING EMAILS AND TEXTS
Messages claiming there is an issue with a Valentine's Day delivery or payment can pose serious risks if not verified. Scammers use this method to redirect users to fake websites to seize their personal, financial, and sensitive information and attempt to steal login credentials.
4. GIFT CARD AND E-CARD SCAMS
Scammers target people in relationships by sending fake e-cards containing malicious links. When users click on these links, their devices can be infected with malware, which puts the security of personal information at risk.