Websense, Inc. a provider of strategic security solutions that prevent data loss, warns of online fraud aimed at Christmas shoppers. They say customers of major High Street brands such as Argos, Debenhams, and John Lewis are falling victim to cybercriminals that target mistyped web addresses, a technique known as typosquatting.

Record numbers of online sales have already been reported since “Cyber Monday”, and it is estimated that in the UK £3.72 billion will be spent online during this holiday season. The allure of the season has also drawn out a surge of cybercriminals.

Researchers at Websense Security Labs have discovered nearly 2,000 typosquatted domains, including: “debenahams”, “johlewis” and “argoss.” The crooks are clever: you normally get to a page that looks just like your favourite retailer. But the site will then lead you to a phishing or other potentially harmful site that injects malware or infects your system with spyware. Some sites are convincing enough to lead people to enter their credit card information.

Similar to typosquatting is when cybercriminals register a variant of a legitimate site with “.org” or “.net”, for example. Back in October, Websense noticed that cybercriminals were registering huge numbers of fake website domains in preparation for the Christmas shopping spree. These web addresses have the brand names spelled correctly, but with the end part replaced, like tescovoucher.org.

Fake sites look like legitimate company websites, luring unsuspecting consumers to enter information. The user is then asked to select another offer shown in a pop-up window. These pop-ups usually host fake competitions offering high value, desirable prizes like the latest iPhone. Users filling in the form inadvertently provide cybercriminals access to their personal information, leading to identity theft, phishing scams, and malware.

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