Phishing Scams Spike As Holiday Season 2021 Approaches

Richard Marley

November 23, 2021

64% of the top courier companies have insufficient protection against phishing scams and other frauds, which makes them a hot target for scammers in the upcoming holiday season.

Delivery companies in the UK are reportedly unsafe when it comes to fraud, spoofing, and phishing. This is evident from the rise in phishing attacks ahead of Black Friday. The reason is said to be unprotected email domains of the top delivery companies.

2021 is expected to be a lot worse than 2020 in terms of phishing scams, as fraudsters are able to manipulate the email addresses of 64 percent (two-thirds) of the top delivery companies in the UK. Poor security protocols are indicated by reports in the majority of global couriers, where only 20% have incorporated authentication and reporting measures.

Although phishing scams are not new, 33 percent of the UK’s customers have reported instances where they received phishing emails. This number is expected to further increase in the upcoming holiday season.

During the last year’s holiday season, 90,000 phishing attacks were reported, which indicates the rise in crimes as the number of online deliveries increases. As a result, delivery companies and customers are being warned to watch out for suspicious signs in phishing emails.

According to TechRadar, every email and message should be verified by the recipient while keeping an eye out for typos, spelling errors, and other possible red flags. Moreover, the sender’s identity must also be verified by matching their names and addresses.

Customers that use mobile devices for emails are especially cautioned against phishing scams. Cybercriminals are reported to spoof a company name and take advantage of customers’ negligence to look at the email address.

Courier companies and delivery platforms have several open communication channels, making them prone to fraud. Customers are encouraged to directly approach the delivery company for the purpose of due diligence in order to avoid becoming victims of phishing scams.