Basmah Qazi
Technology

Australia Post scam alert: Hackers target shoppers in lead up to Christmas

Experts have issued a warning over a Christmas delivery scam that is currently circulating, targeting consumers who are shopping for the upcoming holiday season.

Emails pretending to be from Australia Post and other postal companies are being sent to shoppers with a link attached.

When clicked on, the link downloads a virus onto the receiver’s device, giving hackers full access to personal details.

The scam resurfaces every year just before Christmas approaches.

According to Tom Falinksi, consumer boss of antivirus firm Trend Micro APAC, it’s important to remain vigilant around the festive season, as the number of scams that make the rounds triple.

Speaking to Today, he said: “All they’re trying to do is get you to click on an attachment, so they can download a virus to your computer.

“We see an amazing rise in scams at Christmas time.”

In 2018 alone, over $94 million have been lost to scams according to scamwatch.

Majority of scams use phones to contact their targets, closely followed by email.

Have you received any strange emails lately? Let us know in the comments below.

Tags:
scam, christmas, email, virus