AACC students are at a higher risk of cyberattacks during the holiday season, according to a college cybersecurity expert.
During the holidays, students and others are more susceptible to credit card scams, money laundering and identity theft, Director of Information Security John Williams said.
According to Williams, cybercriminals will use the pretense of gift-giving to scam their victims.
“A lot of times [during the holiday season], you’ll get an email that says, ‘You have just won a gift if you sign into this website. Give us all of your information, then we’ll give you the gift,’” Williams said.
According to Williams, cybercriminals go after higher amounts of money from their targets during the holiday season.
Williams called scammers “predatory.”
“What they’re trying to do is trick you into getting money out of you in some way or another,” Williams said. “You just have to be careful. They’re all tricks.”
Williams advised students to guard passwords and private information and to monitor their social media interactions.