Owing to the fact that it's recently been and gone, Christmas might be the last thing on your mind just now. However, it's important to bear in mind that it was the busiest time of year for "cyber-scrooges", and as such, it could be a good idea to look at the different types of online scams that were in operation over the festive period, to work out if you may have been affected by any of them.

Mobile Malware:

Recent research found that more than a third of UK consumers did more shopping on their smartphones this year than they have in years gone by, however, the second quarter of 2011 brought about a 76% increase in malware targeted at Android devices. In particular, malware was found that targeted QR codes - digital barcodes that consumers may have scanned to find deals on Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Phony Facebook promotions and competitions:

Who doesn't want to win some prizes or get a great deal around Christmas? Unfortunately, cyberscammers know that these are attractive lures and over Christmas some phony promotions and competitions attacked the social networking giant Facebook - in particular a scam advertising £250 worth of free Topshop vouchers was uncovered.

Holiday screensavers:

Whilst bringing some festive cheer to your home or work PC sounds fun and harmless, it's important to be careful. A recent holiday screensaver promising to let users "fly with Santa in 3D" was found to be malicious.

Christmas phishing scams:

Phishing is the art of tricking consumers into revealing information or performing actions they wouldn't normally do online using phony emails or social media posts. Cyberscammers know that most people are busy around Christmas, so they tailor their emails and social messages with Christmas themes in the hopes of tricking recipients into revealing personal information. Banking phishing scams and Smishing - SMS phising - also remain a concern.

Online voucher scams:

While there are thousands of legitimate online vouchers available to consumers, scammers know that by offering an irresistible online voucher, they can get people to hand over some personal information.

"I'm away from home" scammers:

It's never a good idea to post information about a holiday on social networking sites. 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.

Whilst there are plenty of legitimate offers that consumers may have taken up during the festive period, it's important to keep on top of your personal internet security and make sure that none of the offers or schemes you took advantage of over the holiday period were malicious.