Press Releases

Yule be Sorry

AVG reveals £185 million could be lost in Christmas cybercrime bonanza

Amsterdam, The Netherlands (December 2, 2009) – AVG Technologies, the UK's number one Internet security provider, today revealed that up to £185 million could be lost to online fraud during the Christmas shopping season.

Brits are expected to splash out almost £9 billion online over the Christmas period, with a record £417 million predicted to be spent on "Manic Monday" next week*. However, insight from AVG has suggested that over 2% (a total of £185 million) of this spending could be wasted by buying gifts from fraudulent websites and through other forms of online crime.

Roger Thompson, Chief Research Officer at AVG, commented: "In the run-up to Christmas, many websites are set up claiming to offer top gifts at market-leading prices. Shoppers often fail to check the authenticity of these retailers, and end up handing money over to a website which simply vanishes a few weeks later."

The software provider recommends shoppers exercise caution and buy only from recognised, reputable retailers before hitting "Pay" on any transaction. To help customers avoid disappointment, the company has produced a list of 5 Top Tips to avoid being the victim of scammers:

1. Think before you link. Employ a URL scanning tool to ensure you don’t click on links that lead to infected web pages. The time to find out whether a page is bad is BEFORE you load it into your web browser - AVG LinkScanner does this. It’s free, and it works with all other security and anti-virus offerings.
2. Look for the "S" - Make sure the websites you are purchasing from are secure and have “https” in the URL when you are in their checkout/purchase process. The “s” ensures security. When you are in the secure section of a web site, you will also see an icon of a locked padlock on your browser, either on the address bar or on the bottom right corner.
3. Stay current on security software - This means making sure you have the latest virus protection software updates from your security software provider. It’s important because the bad guys move around frequently, but security software companies are working to stay one step ahead of them. If you are up-to-date, you are staying one step ahead, too.
4. Keep your private information private - When shopping online, create a separate e-mail account that is just for shopping. Use a unique password, different from any other accounts you have. Your dedicated shopping e-mail account should be in no way affiliated with your personal, everyday e-mail account. Also, keep records of your online shopping — print confirmation pages and e-mail confirmations.
5. Mix up your passwords - Each shopping account, bank account, credit card account, and e-mail account should have a unique password. Write them down and keep the information in a secure location. Unique passwords for each account make it tougher for a thief to steal your personal information.

Notes to Editors

*"Christmas 2009: Blue Skies or Storm Clouds", Kelkoo & the Centre for Retail Research, November 2009. http://www.kelkoo.co.uk/co_17124-kelkoo-press-release-manic-monday.html

About AVG Technologies

AVG is a global security solutions leader protecting more than 110 million consumers and small business computer users in 167 countries from the ever-growing incidence of web threats, viruses, spam, cyber-scams and hackers on the Internet. Headquartered in Amsterdam, AVG has nearly two decades of experience in combating cyber crime and one of the most advanced laboratories for detecting, pre-empting and combating Web-borne threats from around the world. Its free online, downloadable software model allows entry-level users to gain basic anti-virus protection and then to easily and inexpensively upgrade to greater levels of safety and defense in both single and multi-user environments. Nearly 6,000 resellers, partners and distributors team with AVG globally including Amazon.com, CNET, Cisco, Ingram Micro, Play.com, Wal-Mart, and Yahoo!. More information is available at www.avg.com.

Gladys Elia
Director Global Communications
e. gladys.elia@avg.com
m. +44 7792 135718