McAfee’s Festive Shopping Survey found that 74% of Indians believe that cybercriminals are more prevalent during the festive season,
As the vibrant lights of Diwali fade and the festive season comes to an end, it’s time to reflect on the joyous celebrations and the less cheerful reality of online scams targeting festive shoppers. This year, McAfee, the global leader in online protection, uncovered a worrying trend: a significant increase in online scams affecting consumers during the festive shopping period from October 1 to October 28.
McAfee’s Global Festive Shopping Survey It found that 66% of Indians plan to do more online shopping this year than last year. Of those people, 68% find better discounts and offers online and 60% say online shopping was easier and faster than in-store.
However, the convenience and potential discounts associated with online shopping can come at a price. McAfee’s Labs team has revealed a significant increase in online scams targeting festive shoppers in India, marking this season as a prime opportunity for cybercriminals.
Phishing and Malicious URLs: McAfee’s Labs team analyzed more than 800 unsolicited, holiday-related emails. The volume of these emails increased on Fridays and Saturdays, which aligns with the trend of increased scam activity each weekend – and suggests that scam-related risks are present during the holiday season and consumers should be aware.
Conservation Efforts: The McAfee Labs team also reported protecting consumers against 24,000 suspicious or malicious URLs during the holiday season. Consumer interaction with these malicious links increased significantly in the leadup to key events – for example, the days leading up to Durga Ashtami and Diwali – pointing to savvy scammers targeting people during peak shopping windows.
Too good to be true: Many of these malicious links are disguised as legitimate shopping sites like Flipkart or Amazon, promoting unimaginable discounts of up to 99%.
“Diwali is a special time of the year that many people look forward to – from consumers to retailers to CyberCrox,” said Pratim Mukherjee, senior director of engineering at McAfee.
“With AI-powered tools, scammers can now more quickly and easily create incredibly realistic fake celebrity endorsements and near-perfect imitations of trusted brand messages and websites. We urge people to be cautious, think twice about deals that sound too good to be true, and use the best online tools to protect their information.”
Festive consumer behavior
The festive season brings about changes in consumer behaviour, with many Indians adjusting their shopping habits in response to inflation, bargain hunting and the growing influence of social media. This also raises concerns about scams and cybercrime shaping festive shopping patterns in India.
- 95% of Indians, in light of inflation, plan to engage in festive shopping behaviors for relevant deal-seeking.
- 90% said they would consider starting holiday shopping earlier than usual to find the best possible deals.
- 41% said they are more likely to jump on a good deal immediately when they see it.
The impact of AI on festival scams
McAfee’s festive shopping survey found that 74% of Indians believe that cybercriminals are more prevalent during the festive season, making the period particularly dangerous and stressful for online shoppers, especially as AI-powered digital scams become increasingly common. have been
- 84% of Indians are more concerned about deepfakes now than they were a year ago.
- 39% of Indians say they encounter fake messages the most through email
- 31% via text and 30% on social media.
When asked about the types of scam messages they received:
- 30% are messages referring to purchases they haven’t made.
- 37% reported fake missed delivery or delivery problem notifications.
- 24% saw security warnings from popular e-commerce platforms or notifications related to account updates.
- 43% received messages about urgent problems with their credit card or banking account.
Social media influence
A significant percentage of Indian shoppers say their purchase decisions are influenced by social media and celebrity endorsements. Scammers are increasingly using this trend to defraud consumers.
- Almost half (47%) of Indians say they or someone they know has bought or paid for something that either came from or was endorsed by a celebrity, which later turned out to be a scam.
- 31% of Indians are more likely to buy from a new retailer they meet through social media if the deal is attractive.
McAfee’s tips for safe holiday shopping
To stay safe this season, McAfee recommends customers:
Think before you click. If you receive an email or text message asking you to click on a link, even if it’s a great deal or suggests it will provide useful information like a package delivery update, it’s best to avoid interacting with the message altogether. Always go straight to the source and deal with reputable companies.
Use the AI to beat the AI. By blocking dangerous links in text messages, social media or web browsers, if clicked, consumers on all platforms can take advantage of AI-powered technology to engage with text messages, read emails and browse the web peacefully and securely.
Find DeepFax. Look for slight inconsistencies in content. Are there unnatural blinks, strange eye movements, or unusual looking hands or teeth? Does the audio not quite match the speaker’s lips or is the quality distorted?
Invest in comprehensive online security. Use products that provide maximum identity, privacy and device security. Help keep yourself and your family safe online with protection that detects and protects against suspicious links and sites (even those that promise the latest in celebrity news!), so you can browse online with more confidence.
study method
The survey was conducted online in November 2024, focusing on the topic of Deepfax, scam messages and holiday shopping. 7,128 adults, over the age of 18, in 7 countries (US, Australia, India, UK, France, Germany, Japan) participated in the study.