The holiday season is in full swing as consumers rush to buy gifts for loved ones before Christmas Day. With Boxing Day (or Boxing Week) to follow on December 26, retailers and independent online sellers are busy wooing customers to their websites to sell their products before people exhaust their budgets and start making New Year’s resolutions.

In this frenzied shopping season, it’s easy for retailers and online sellers to forget that e-commerce businesses risk falling prey to online scams and cybercrime. But cybersecurity should always be top of mind for retail businesses and side hustlers selling goods online. 

A recent survey of Canadians by credit reporting agency TransUnion of Canada finds a 40% increase in digital fraud attempts in this country during the first half of 2023. Furthermore, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) reported that 45% of small businesses experienced a random cyber-attack in 2022, and 27% experienced a targeted attack. Many attacks came through email scams, phishing attempts, and malicious software.