Last-minute online Christmas shoppers are being warned to take extra care when receiving email offers that sound tempting.
Symantec expert Fred Russo said that with Christmas looming, Symantec Security Response had observed spammers hard at work sending out Christmas-related spam, including gift shopping offers, greeting cards, courier services and more.
Mr Russo said that while Chinese spammers were relatively less active at this time of the year, the increasing popularity of the Christmas holiday among the younger Chinese generation had also generated a wave of Chinese Christmas spam.
One of the most popular was: Subject [details removed] hundreds of creative T-shirt style for Christmas gift! Don't worry about picking up a sweet gift! Only costs 333 dollars.
Symantec recommended using directions provided by mail administrators to report spam, he said.
Deleting all spam was also recommended along with avoiding clicking on suspicious links in email or IM messages as those might connect users to spoofed web sites.
"Type web addresses directly into the browser rather than relying on links within your messages.
"Always be sure that your operating system is up-to-date with the latest updates and employ a comprehensive security suite," Mr Russo said.
Spam alert
Subject: Merry Christmas
Subject: Letters from Santa Claus to your child!
Subject: Delight a child with a personalised letter from Santa
Subject: May the joy and warmth of Christmas fill your home with happiness
Subject: Personalised Christmas gifts for everyone on your list
Subject: Surprise your child with a gift delivered straight from the North Pole
Subject: Photo Christmas Cards - Fast Shipping
Subject: Christmas shopping made easy
Subject: Christmas e-Card from Online Banking Team
