Online retailers and cyber security companies expect a big surge in cyber-fraud and cyber-theft beginning Friday, Nov. 27, straight through the New Year as experts have predicted the biggest cyber-crime Christmas of all time this year.

The California-based security technology company, Threatmetrix, has said that Black Friday and Cyber Monday this year "will be a particular target for online criminals", warning that the 2015 holiday shopping season will draw more cyber hacks than ever before.        

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In the online retail business, the first Friday of the shopping season -- popularly known as Black Friday -- is a day for discounts and special offers.  This is followed by Cyber Monday, another day for special bargains. 

Over the years, both these days have been marked by a surge in online economic activity. This attracts a commensurate increase in cyber theft and cyber fraud.  The global internet crime spree usually spans the rest of the quarter.

What has made cyber security experts sit up and take notice of this year's "hacking season" are the numbers, according to the BBC.  The figures culled by the industry in the run-up to this year's holidays have yielded an alarming picture. 

"Generally, the third quarter is a slower time for businesses as consumers anticipate spending money during the Christmas and New Year shopping season, but this year it yielded record numbers in attack attempts," observes Vanita Pandey, strategy director at Threatmetrix.

The company reports that the third quarter of this year saw a 25 percent increase in cyber attacks over that of the previous three months.  In all, the company's security systems registered some 45 million attacks worldwide in the 90 days that spanned the quarter. 

Given these figures, Threatmatrix foresees a record-breaking spike in internet crime some time before the year ends. And the attacks will occur throughout the world.  

Businesses in the UK are more at risk of falling prey to cyber criminals than any other country, according to the company.  British businesses lose billions of pounds to cyber criminals each year.  This year will be no different.     

Retailers in India will probably see comparable losses.  The country registered some 1.5 million cyber attacks last year.  Analysts have said that the incidence of internet crime in India is likely to double this year even as companies like Amazon India, Ebay India, Pepperfry and Flipkart continue to offer massive discounts to Indian shoppers this season.

"What is causing even more concern is that the origin of these crimes is widely based abroad in countries like China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Algeria, among others," says Secretary General D S Rawat, Secretary General of India's Association of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Assocham).     

Cyber criminals are a global menace, however, and they are everywhere.  Online theft and internet fraud now comprise the most common offense in the UK, which is second only to the US as the biggest source of cyber attacks in the world. 

Experts blame the new mobile lifestyle for the rise of cyber criminality.  The more people access the internet on their smartphones, the more digital footprints they leave behind for criminals to exploit. If a phone is hacked or stolen, the information it contains is compromised, says a report compiled by Assocham and the cyber security consultants, Mahindra SSG. 

Then there is also plain carelessness.

Paul Ducklin, a senior security adviser at Sophos, urges people to be vigilant, especially when browsing offers sent via e-mail. "If it sounds too good to be true, it is too good to be true," Ducklin said.

Tagscyber crime, Christmas shopping, cybercrime Christmas, cyber theft, cyber fraud, internet crime, Threatmetrix, Black Friday, cyber monday