The Malta Communications Authority has urged the public to stay a step ahead of scammers who were very familiar with the increased reliance on online shopping at this time of the year.

"They see this time of year as an ideal opportunity to lure unsuspecting targets to a variety of scams using multiple channels, such as emails, SMS or phone calls," the MCA warned.

It asked the public to be mindful of text messages – whether by SMS, WhatsApp, or other social media – that put one under some form of pressure.

"These may pretend to be urgent payment deadlines, requests for immediate action for your credit card to remain active, or warnings that some of your personal details need to be updated within a short timeframe.

"Be careful of following web links which you are not familiar with," the MCA warned.

It said scammers were sometimes less pressing in the strategies they adopted.

"The message would present an offer that sounds too good to let slip. Rather than putting you under pressure through fear of something bad, such offers try to trick you through fear of missing out on the promised rewards."

The MCA said scammers should also be aware of scam phone calls, which attempt to take advantage of real-time conversations to adapt their tactics during the call.

"Many times, these scammers tend to reach out from a spoofed number, which means that the phone number you see in the Caller ID seems familiar, such as one of a local bank, the postal services, or the police.

"Seeing such a familiar number could put you at ease or make you anxious.

"Unfortunately, as the called party, you cannot always, and reliably, know for sure whether an incoming call is genuine, or a scam, unless you answer and engage with the caller," the MCA said.

It added that it is at this point that utmost care must be exercised, "so look out for red flags".

"You may notice that the caller is being very forceful, or that the caller is urging you to make an important decision in a very short time.

"No matter what, never disclose passwords, PINs or other sensitive information," it warned.

The MCA said that in such a situation, the more one engaged, the more likely it is that one would end up becoming a victim.

"The best defence in such situations is to take a mental note of where the caller claimed to be calling from, and promptly hang up.

"If you still think the call might have been genuine, seek a phone number for the organisation that the caller claimed to be representing, and call back on that number after collecting your thoughts."

The MCA said that some phones today have built-in tools that warn one of potential scams.

These tools were intended to give the called party some assistance with detecting and avoiding a potential scam.

But such tools were not foolproof, so one should always be on guard as such tools may also be fooled into thinking a scam call was legitimate.

"Keep in mind that no matter the tools available, the best shield against scammers is to always stay alert, aware and realistic. Given the rising number of scams globally, a little scepticism will go a long way to protect you from impulse decisions that would turn you into a victim," the MCA said.

It said that if something appeared to be too good to be true, too urgent, or too sensitive to divulge "just stop –you’re likely facing a scam. So slam the scam this holiday season, and stay merry all the way".