Festive shopping could lose Brits hundreds of pounds – and the threat is not over after Christmas day

Britons could have lost hundreds of pounds through online scams over the Christmas period – and are set to be hit by even more attacks by the presents they have managed to buy. That is the warning from cyber security experts who see Christmas as one of the riskiest time of the year, with the rush to find bargains and last-minute deals leading people to malicious websites. Tens of billions of pounds have been spent online in the run-up to the Christmas period, but despite the growth of internet shopping, many customers are still running the risk of buying with unidentified and often unsafe websites. Brits – who together will spend nearly £25 billion over the Christmas period – are at risk of having £725 stolen from their accounts, according to the cyber security firm McAfee. Scams from such websites are often so significant they can lead to people cancelling Christmas, but shoppers are often enticed to them with the promise of saving money.