🎃 Don't Let Scammers Make Halloween Frightening for the Wrong Reasons 🎃

🎃 Don't Let Scammers Make Halloween Frightening for the Wrong Reasons 🎃

Criminals often use Halloween-themed sales, competitions, event tickets, and social media giveaways to steal money and personal information. Before clicking on links, making purchases, or entering payment details, take a moment to verify that the website, event, or offer is genuine. If an offer seems too good to be true, it probably is. Halloween-themed phishing campaigns frequently use fake discounts, prizes, and giveaways to lure victims into revealing personal or financial information. 

Be particularly cautious about downloading Halloween-themed content such as e-cards, screensavers, wallpapers, games, and mobile apps. Cybercriminals sometimes use these to distribute malicious software (malware) designed to steal information, compromise devices, or give criminals access to your online accounts. Only download content from trusted sources and official app stores, and be wary of unsolicited links sent by email, text message, or social media. Halloween-themed e-cards and downloads can be used to deliver malware or redirect users to malicious websites. 

Key Takeaways

✅ Buy costumes and decorations from trusted retailers.

✅ Be suspicious of deals that appear too good to be true.

✅ Do not click links in unsolicited Halloween emails or text messages.

✅ Be cautious of social media giveaways and competitions.

✅ Check QR codes carefully before scanning.

✅ Use strong passwords and enable two-factor authentication (2FA) wherever possible.

✅ Pay by credit card where possible for additional consumer protection.

✅ If in doubt, visit the retailer's website directly rather than following a link.

✅ Only download Halloween-themed apps, games, wallpapers, screensavers, and e-cards from trusted and official sources.

✅ Keep your devices, browsers, and security software up to date.

Stay safe this Halloween: Think Before You Click.

If you receive a suspicious email, text message, website link or online advert, report it to the National Cyber Security Centre's Suspicious Email Reporting Service by forwarding suspicious emails to report@phishing.gov.uk and suspicious text messages to 7726 (SPAM). Reporting suspicious messages helps protect others from cybercrime. 

If you are the victim of Fraud or Cybercrime

🌐 Report online here: UK's Home for Reporting Cyber Crime & Fraud - Report Fraud

📞 Or call: 0300 123 2040

📞 To quickly contact your bank dial 159

👥 Please share this advice with friends, family, and colleagues to help keep Devon & Cornwall safe online.