Holiday shopping season highlights dangers of mobile commerce
The holiday season has only just begun, but mobile commerce is already experiencing major success. Consumers are flocking to the concept of using their mobile devices to make purchases and shop for products. Indeed, mobile commerce had a powerful showing on Thanksgiving day and Black Friday, accounting for billions worth of sales. Though consumers have shown major interest in mobile commerce, they may be making some simple mistakes that could be putting their financial information at risk.
Consumers warned to be cautious in December
Connecticut’s Department of Consumer Protection notes that more consumers are making use of their mobile devices to make holiday shopping more convenient. These consumers could be at risk of falling victim to scams and hacking attempts, if they are not careful. The agency has issued a warning to holiday shoppers to be careful during December in an effort to ensure consumers take adequate steps to protect themselves.
Scams can easily take advantage of unaware consumers
The agency suggests that a growing number of mobile e-commerce scams could be putting consumers at risk of exploitation. Such scams are relatively common during the holiday season, but e-commerce and mobile commerce platforms are ideal disguises for such fraudulent activities. The Department of Consumer Protection suggests that it can be easy for some consumers to miss the signs of a scam during the holiday season because they are distracted. Moreover, malicious mobile sites could house malware that can infect a mobile device and leave a consumer’s financial information exposed.
Mobile apps could help protect devices from attacks
The growing popularity of mobile commerce may raise awareness of the security precautions that consumers can take to protect themselves. There are several anti-virus and anti-malware applications available for both Android and iOS platforms that can protect a device from malicious attacks. These applications do not mitigate scams, however, so consumers are advised to pay close attention to the mobile commerce and e-commerce platforms they choose to use during the holiday season.
