ANZ Bank has urged all customers to be aware of scams, as cyber criminals find ways to take advantage of the festive season. ANZ Country Head, Papua New Guinea, Lachlan Halstead stated that the Banks work around the clock to help protect customers from fraud, but scammers don't take a break over Christmas, so PNG communities should remain vigilant. “Scammers will target and prey on people's generosity and vulnerabilities during the festive season.” “They may use a range of tactics to trick people into providing their personal or banking details including digital e-cards from someone you don't know, phishing emails promising Christmas sales, fake travel and holiday deals across social media and online donations to fake charities.” He also stressed that it is important that those living and working in Papua New Guinea know how to identify and protect themselves from scams and be cautious when sharing any personal details online. “Take the steps to protect yourself and your loved ones to enjoy a cyber safe Christmas.” Simple tips to stay scam safe: Protect your personal information: Use strong passwords and never share your PIN or passwords with anyone. Enable two-factor authentication on any online accounts and update your social media privacy settings. Be wary of enticing offers: If something is too good to be true, it probably is. You should be cautious of deals that place a time pressure on you to purchase or urging you to buy now. Be cautious of new online stores: Watch out for new online stores with extremely low prices. Don't rush your decision and check the legitimacy of the website through online reviews. Check the website's registration date using the ICANN Lookup search; if it was recently registered, it might be a scam. Don't click on unexpected or unusual links: Never click on links sent via text, email or pop-up messages on social media, they might lead you to a phishing website. Scam sites often have very similar URLs to official sites - check for dashes, symbols or typos in the URL. Inspect items in person: Whenever possible, physically check items before purchasing. Seeing an item in person significantly reduces the risk of falling for a scam.