FindLaw columnist Eric Sinrod writes regularly in this section on legal developments surrounding technology and the Internet.

But, and there always seems to be a “but,” as reported by USA Today, cybercriminals have been lurking in the vicinity of Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the overall holiday season.

What have they been up to? They have been busy inundating the internet with emails, social media postings and search results that contain links that offer pitches for various scams and worthless products.

This is not nice. It’s downright naughty. Cybercriminals go where the money is, and unquestionably plenty of money heads in the direction of online holiday purchases.

Smartphones Present Greatest Risk

Smartphones reportedly are the least secure purchasing platform, with USA Today reporting 1.3 percent of sales on them being fraudulent, as compared to 0.8 percent fraudulent sales on desktop computers and 0.5 percent fraudulent sales on tablets.

Holiday online shoppers need to be careful. They should exercise a healthy dose of caution with respect to information they receive soliciting holiday shopping. And they should shop at trusted Web sites.

With a bit of care and skepticism, we can have a wonderful holiday season, replete with legitimate online holiday gift purchases.

Ho, ho, ho!

Eric Sinrod is a partner in the San Francisco office of Duane Morris LLP, where he focuses on litigation matters of various types, including information technology and intellectual property disputes. You can read his professional biography here. To receive a weekly email link to Mr. Sinrod’s columns, please email him at ejsinrod@duanemorris.com with Subscribe in the Subject line. This column is prepared and published for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice. The views expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the author’s law firm or its individual partners.

Related Resources:

  • Don’t Let Scammers Turn Black Friday and Cyber Monday Into Regretful Tuesday (PC World)
  • The Price Tag for Cyber Crime Continues to Increase (FindLaw’s Technologist)
  • Google Report Reveals Malware, Phishing on ‘Safe’ Sites (FindLaw’s Technologist)
  • Black Friday Tech Shopping: No Lines or Ruined Holidays (FindLaw’s Technologist)

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