ESET: One in Four Users Faced Money Theft During Holiday Shopping

As the holiday season approaches, analysts at ESET have examined the online shopping habits of Russians and assessed potential risks. The study found that as many as 65% of users prefer to buy New Year’s gifts from online stores. More than half of Russians (54%) plan to spend up to 5,000 rubles on gifts, another 5% plan to spend between 5,000 and 10,000 rubles, and 19% intend to spend more than 15,000 rubles.

According to the research, a quarter of respondents (25%) reported personally encountering fraud while making online purchases, and another 30% said they know of such cases from family and friends. It’s important to note that during the holiday rush, stores offer numerous promotions and discounts, which are often exploited by scammers using phishing tactics. For example, ESET recently reported the discovery of a phishing attack targeting PayPal users.

Researchers warn that phishing can take many forms. Most often, users receive messages about suspiciously large discounts via email, social networks, browser notifications, and more. As is well known, filling out forms on suspicious websites or clicking on unwanted links can lead to financial losses.

“During the New Year holiday period, it’s important to be especially cautious. Cybercriminals become more active, taking advantage of users who are busy preparing for the holidays and may let their guard down,” says Ruslan Suleymanov, Director of Information Technology at ESET Russia. “Attackers can target users with malware, which can infect PCs and smartphones in various ways, including phishing. If a secure protocol is not used, hackers can easily access buyers’ information—so it’s crucial to visit only those sites that use the HTTPS protocol.”