Kaspersky warns Filipinos of rising holiday scams

As Filipinos ramp up online shopping, digital payments and money transfers during the holiday season, cybersecurity firm Kaspersky warned that cybercriminals are also intensifying their activities, taking advantage of increased year-end transactions and time-pressured consumers.

- By KEISHA TA-ASAN

Kaspersky said the surge in holiday spending creates a high-risk environment for online scams, with attackers deploying increasingly sophisticated tactics to steal personal data, financial information and account credentials.

Adrian Hia, managing director for Asia-Pacific at Kaspersky, said the holiday season is a peak period for online activity in the Philippines, making users more vulnerable to cyber threats.

"During the holiday season, attackers capitalize on time-pressured shopping and transactions to exploit lapses in user vigilance. This makes awareness and consistent security practices especially important," he said.

Kaspersky's latest threat intelligence showed that seasonal shopping periods continue to be widely exploited by cybercriminals worldwide.