As is the norm with every festive season, online shoppers need to be aware of cyber scams that lurk on the internet.

Bethwel Opil, channel sales manager for Kaspersky Lab East Africa has warned online users to be vigilant and not let their emotions take over.

“With Valentine’s Day on Saturday, love is firmly in the air. And in the connected world, there is nothing easier than sending and receiving a virtual valentine - some from loved ones, but also some from people with malicious intent,” Opil says.

Opil explained that users need to be sober when looking at deals, which seem to be “too good” or offers from generic emails from people you do not know.

Usually such scams aim to go get your personal information.

Opil said, “Part of this is the inevitable ‘too good to be true’ deals coming through. From roses to chocolates, expect to see some last minute offers that pressurise you into sharing credit card details or clicking through to links that might be phishing scams.”

“So instead of blindly clicking on a link you received via email or on a social network, type the URL of the purported retailer into the address bar of your web browser,” Opil advises.

Opil noted that users should always be vigilant when getting online, but most times caution is thrown to the wind during festivities.