Beware of these 12 online Christmas scams!

It's time to bring out the joy, spread the cheer and celebrate. And, to make the festive celebrations even more special e-marketing companies are giving consumers discounts on various gifts, gadgets, and holiday packages and so on.

But, as you look for deals on your shopping don't let scammers spoil your holiday cheer! According to a report released by computer security company McAfee, there are many scammers out there who are trying out numerous ways to take advantage of innocent shoppers.

So whether you are using PCs, Macs, or mobile devices, look out for these 12 online, as revealed by McAfee:

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1. Mobile Malware

As the name suggests, malware is targeted at mobile phone users, especially Android smart phones.

McAfee cites a 76 per cent rise in malware targeted at Android devices in the second quarter of 2011 over the first, making it the most targeted smart phone platform.

New malware has recently been found that targets QR codes, a digital barcode that consumers might scan with their smart phone to find good deals online, or just to learn about products they want to buy.

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2. Malicious Mobile Applications

These are mobile apps designed to steal information from smart phones, or send out expensive text messages without users' consent.

Also, one should be careful while downloading free apps. As dangerous apps are usually offered for free, usually masquerade as fun applications, such as games. For instance, last year, 4.6 million Android smart phone users downloaded a suspicious wallpaper app that collected and transmitted user data to a site in China.

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3. Phoney Facebook promotions and contests

Taking advantage of the fact consumers are looking for freebies online, cyber scammers often lure them with attractive promotions and contests. To make it sound authentic, these offers are often pushed under big names like Facebook.

A recent scam advertised two free airline tickets, but required participants to fill out multiple surveys requesting personal information.

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4. Scareware, or fake antivirus software

Scareware is the fake antivirus software that tricks someone into believing that their computer is at risk-- or already infected -- so they agree to download and pay for phoney software.

This is one of the most common and dangerous Internet threats today, with an estimated 1 million victims falling for this scam each day.

In October 2010, McAfee reported that scareware represented 23 per cent of all dangerous Internet links, and it has been resurgent in recent months.

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5. Holiday Screensavers

Bringing holiday cheer to your home or work PC sounds like a fun idea to get into the holiday spirit, but be careful.

A recent search for a Santa screensaver that promises to let you "fly with Santa in 3D" is malicious. Even, holiday-themed ringtones and e-cards are known to play the devil's role.

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6. Mac Malware

Until recently, Mac users felt pretty insulated from online security threats, since most were targeted at PCs. But with the growing popularity of Apple products, for both business and personal use, cyber criminals have designed a new wave of malware directed squarely at Mac users.

According to McAfee LabsTM, as of late 2010, there were 5,000 pieces of malware targeting Macs, and this number is increasing by 10 per cent month on month.

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7. Holiday Phishing Scams

Phishing is the act of tricking consumers into revealing information or performing actions they wouldn't normally do online. This is often done via a phoney email or social media posts.

Cyber scammers know that most people are busy around the holidays so they tailor their emails and social messages with holiday themes in the hope of tricking recipients into revealing personal information.

One common holiday phishing scam is a phoney notice from UPS. The notice says. "You have a package and need to fill out an attached form to get it delivered. The form may ask for personal or financial details that will go straight into the hands of the cyber scammer."

The other is the banking phishing scam. It attacks the consumer, when they are checking their bank balance or doing other bank transactions online. From July to September of this year, McAfee Labs identified approximately 2,700 phishing URLs per day.

Smishing -- SMS phishing – continues to remain a concern this holiday season. Scammers send their fake messages via a text alert to a phone, notifying an unsuspecting consumer that his bank account has been compromised. Cyber criminals then direct the consumer to call a phone number to get it re-activated. This is the plot. So, when the consumer calls the number, cyber criminals manages to collect the user's personal information including address and account details.

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8. Online coupon scams

An estimated 63 per cent of shoppers search for online coupons or deals when they purchase something on the Internet.

Though it's great to bag some good deal, but watch out as scammers know that by offering an irresistible online coupon, they can get people to hand over some of their personal information.

One popular scam is to lure consumers with the hope of winning a "free" iPad. Consumers ...

9. Mystery Shopper Scams

Mystery shoppers are people who are hired to shop in a store and report back on the customer service. Sadly, scammers are now using this fun job to try to lure people into revealing personal and financial information.

There have been reports of scammers sending text messages to victims, offering to pay them $50 an hour to be a mystery shopper, and instructing them to call a number if they are interested.

Once the victim calls, they are asked for their personal information, including credit card and bank account numbers.

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10. Hotel 'wrong transaction' malware emails

Many people travel over the holidays, so it is no surprise that scammers have designed travel-related scams in the hope of getting consumers to ...

11. 'It' Gift Scams

Every year there are popular holiday gifts, such as toys and gadgets that sell out early in the season.

Thus, if a particular gift is popular with customers, not only do sellers mark up the price, but scammers will also start advertising these gifts on rogue websites and social networks, even if they don't have them.

So, consumers could wind up paying for an item and giving away credit card details only to receive nothing in return. Once the scammer has personal financial details, there is little recourse.

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12. 'I'm away from home' scammers:

Think before posting information about a vacation on social networking site, as this could actually be dangerous. If someone is connected with people they don't know on Facebook or other social networking sites, they could see their post and decide that it may be a good time to rob them.

Furthermore, a quick online search can easily turn up their home address. "We don't want consumers to be haunted by the scams of holidays past, present and future," said Jim Walter, manager at McAfee Labs.

"With the increase in malware and other attacks on smartphones, tablets and Macs, users need to stay vigilant and ensure they protect all of their devices, not just their home PC -- they can't afford to leave the door open to cyber-grinches during the busy holiday season."

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How to protect yourself

But, if cyber scammers are smart...so are you! Just follow these quick tips to beat these scammers:

• Only download mobile apps from official app stores, such as iTunes and the Android Market, and read user reviews before downloading them.
• Be extra vigilant when reviewing and responding to emails.
• Watch out for too-good-to-be-true offers on social networks (like free airline tickets). Never agree to reveal your personal information just to participate in a promotion.
• Don't accept requests on social networks from people you don't know in real life. Wait to post pictures and comments about your vacation until you've already returned home.
• Be sure you have active, comprehensive protection for all of your devices. McAfee® All Access is the only product that lets you protect a wide variety of Internet-enabled devices, including PCs, Macs, smartphones, tablets and netbooks, for one low price for individuals and families.