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Don’t Let Scammers Steal Your Holiday Cheer: New Norton Report Reveals Nearly Half of U.S. Consumers Were Targeted by a Scam While Online Shopping

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Norton’s Cyber Safety Sunday Helps Shoppers Stay Safe Ahead of the Peak Holiday Shopping Season

TEMPE, Ariz. and PRAGUE, Oct. 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Holiday shopping is in full swing, with over 60% of Americans ready to click “add to cart” for most of their purchases this holiday season. But it’s not just shoppers gearing up – scammers are, too. Nearly half (48%) of U.S. consumers report being targeted by a scam while holiday shopping online, according to the 2024 Norton Cyber Safety Insights Report: Holiday. Additionally, more than half (53%) of Americans are worried about Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping scams. Norton, a consumer Cyber Safety brand of Gen (NASDAQ: GEN), encourages people to take time on Cyber Safety Sunday, December 1st, to prepare to safely shop online this holiday season and bolster their defenses against cybercriminals and scammers.

‘Tis the Season for Shopping and Scamming

Cyber Safety Sunday is observed the Sunday after Thanksgiving and is a day for shoppers to take proactive steps to prioritize their online safety ahead of shopping Cyber Week deals, booking holiday travel, and more. Nearly half of Americans (48%) will do most of their holiday shopping between Black Friday and Cyber Monday – making it not only the busiest time of the year for shoppers – but also scammers. Thirty percent of Americans say they have been targeted by a scam while holiday shopping online. Of the two fifths (43%) who fell victim, 30% report the scam happened on Black Friday, 11% on Cyber Monday and 30% on Christmas.

“The holidays can be a hectic time, and when we are busy or looking for ways to save money, sometimes we let our guard down,” said Leyla Bilge for Norton. “This Cyber Safety Sunday, we encourage everyone to take a few simple steps that will go a long way to help you stay safe online this season. Stick to sites you trust, stay educated on common scams, update passwords, set fraud alerts and always think twice before sharing your personal information. Give yourself the gift of peace of mind knowing you’re prepared.”

Rising Concerns Over Cyber Grinches

Of the 90% of Americans buying gifts to spread holiday cheer, 60% will be clicking “add to cart” for most of their presents this season. While online shopping is fun and convenient, the rise in online crime has made shoppers feel less merry and more wary about their online safety. In fact, 62% are concerned about becoming victims of cybercrime this season, with 47% specifically worried about falling for a sophisticated holiday shopping scam. A look deeper into Norton’s data reveals concerns rising from last year:

71% of US consumers are concerned about their personal details being compromised, up 8% YoY. 59% are concerned about being scammed by a 3rd party retailer, up 9% YoY. 59% are concerned about AI shopping scams, up 11% YoY. 

Decking the Halls with Discounts

With the costs of many goods on the rise, everyone’s looking to stretch their holiday budgets a little further, resulting in 87% of U.S. online shoppers spending extra time to look for discount codes. However, it is important to be aware of the information you offer to gain access to these deals, as it can lead to significant privacy risks.  When you enter personal details, such as your name, email or payment information to redeem a discount code, that data could fall into the wrong hands if the website is not secure. Some scammers also create fake promotions or clone legitimate retailer websites to trick consumers into submitting their information, which they can then use for identity theft, financial fraud or to sell on the dark web.

Norton discovered that two thirds (67%) of people have taken some action to receive a discount code. Of these deal seekers, 57% signed up for a mailing list, 39% answered a survey and 30% liked a post or posted on social media. Nearly two-thirds (65%) of people were willing to give personal information including their email (91%), phone number (52%) or home address (35%).

It’s no coincidence that while shoppers are keen for discounts, malvertising and adware are the cyber threats that increase the most dramatically during the holiday season. During last year’s holiday shopping season, Gen data reveals a 53% increase in malvertising attacks – malicious ads often seen by consumers when searching for something such as sales. Adware – malicious software often distributed via malvertising – increased by 227% over the same period.

To stay safe, try to find codes directly from the retailer and not third-party providers. Consider using an alternative email address that you don’t typically use for daily, personal life. Products such as Norton AntiTrack can create these emails for you in a single click. Think twice: Is the discount worth potentially compromising your digital safety or identity?

Enlisting AI Holiday Helpers

Both retailers and consumers are using AI tools to help ease the stress of holiday shopping. Nearly a quarter of people (23%) have interacted with an AI chatbot or assistant and 43% have noticed AI-enhanced search results with personal recommendations while shopping.

While 36% of Americans say that AI recommendations are helpful and could enhance their online shopping experience, most shoppers are still resistant to AI. Fifty-seven percent of people say they would abandon their carts if they could only speak with a chatbot rather than a real customer service representative. Only 26% of shoppers trust AI to handle their personal information securely, and 37% who have interacted with an AI chatbot while holiday shopping online report receiving inaccurate information.

Sleighing Suspicious Social Media Ads

Despite general distrust in social media sites, shoppers continue to click on social ads to purchase holiday gifts. Thirty-seven percent of Americans have purchased a holiday gift from a social ad, with these buyers mainly purchasing through Facebook (60%), Instagram (48%) and TikTok (40%).

Clicking on social media ads can expose people to unnecessary risks such as phishing attacks, malware infections and privacy breaches. Fraudulent ads may lead to fake websites that steal personal information or payment details, and some may download harmful or malicious software onto your device. Despite these risks, 20% of people are still willing to click on a social media ad or email claiming to offer a gift—reminding us all that some “holiday deals” belong on the naughty list.

This Cyber Safety Sunday, take control of your Cyber Safety by using AI to spot scams. Norton Genie is an AI-powered app that provides a fast, easy and free way to check if a message, like an email offering a holiday discount, is a scam. Genie can also review social media links and other suspicious web links, such as those that direct people to track deliveries for holiday gifts, offer gift cards or steer people to fake third-party websites and confirm whether the information or offer is malicious.

Visit Norton.com this Cyber Safety Sunday and throughout the holidays to learn how you can prepare for a safe shopping season and find out about the top scams and more holiday shopping insights in the 2024 Norton Cyber Safety Insights Report: Holiday.

About the 2024 Norton Cyber Safety Insights Report: Holiday 

The study was conducted online within the United States by Dynata on behalf of Gen from August 30th to September 11th, 2024 among 1,000 adults ages 18 and older. Data is weighted where necessary by age, gender and region, to be nationally representative. 

About Norton

Norton is a leader in Cyber Safety, and part of Gen™ (NASDAQ: GEN), a global company dedicated to powering Digital Freedom with a family of trusted consumer brands. Norton empowers millions of individuals and families with award-winning protection for their devices, online privacy, and identity. Norton products and services are certified by independent testing organizations including AV-TEST, AV-Comparatives, and SE Labs. Norton is a founding member of the Coalition Against Stalkerware. Learn more at https://us.norton.com/.

Malea Lamb-Hall
Gen 
Press@GenDigital.com 

Courtney Rowles
Edelman for Gen
Courtney.Rowles@Edelman.com

 

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FULTON FINANCIAL CORPORATION APPOINTS DAVID S. SCHULZ TO BOARD OF DIRECTORS

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July 21, 2026

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LANCASTER, Pa., July 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Fulton Financial Corporation (NASDAQ: FULT) (“Fulton”) today announced the appointment of David S. Schulz as a member of its board of directors (the “Board”) for a term commencing September 14, 2026 and expiring at Fulton’s 2027 annual meeting of shareholders.

“We’re excited to welcome Dave to Fulton’s board of directors,” said Curt Myers, Fulton Chairman, CEO, and President. “Dave brings extensive financial leadership experience gained through more than a decade of service with publicly traded companies. His expertise in finance, strategic planning, risk, and mergers and acquisitions will provide valuable perspective as we continue to execute our growth strategy and create long-term value for our shareholders, customers and communities.”

With the addition of Schulz, Fulton’s Board will have 11 members, and he will serve on the Audit and Risk committees. Schulz has also been appointed to the board of directors of Fulton’s banking subsidiary, Fulton Bank, N.A.

Schulz served as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Wesco International, Inc. (“Wesco”) from 2016 to June 2020, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Wesco from June 2020 to February 2026 and as Executive Vice President and Special Advisor to the CEO of Wesco from February 2026 until his retirement on May 31, 2026. 

Prior to joining Wesco, Schulz served as Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Armstrong Flooring, Inc. and was previously Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Armstrong World Industries, Inc. and Vice President of Finance of the Armstrong Building Products division.

Before joining Armstrong World Industries in 2011, he held various financial leadership roles with Procter & Gamble and The J.M. Smucker Company. He was also an officer in the United States Marine Corps.

In 2025, Schulz joined the board of Sterling Infrastructure, Inc., and he was appointed as chair of the audit committee in 2026. He also serves on the company’s compensation and talent development committee.

ABOUT FULTON FINANCIAL CORPORATION

Fulton, a $34 billion Lancaster, Pa.-based financial holding company, has more than 3,400 employees and operates more than 215 financial centers in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware and Virginia through Fulton Bank, N.A. Additional information on Fulton can be found at https://investor.fultonbank.com.

Contact: Steve Trapnell
717-291-2739

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SOURCE Fulton Financial Corporation

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Octavio Marquez Elected to MSA Safety Board of Directors

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59 minutes ago

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July 21, 2026

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PITTSBURGH, July 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Board of Directors of MSA Safety Inc. (NYSE: MSA), a global leader in the development of advanced industrial safety technology products and solutions, today announced that Octavio Marquez, president and chief executive officer of Diebold Nixdorf, has been elected to the company’s Board of Directors. His election was part of the MSA Board’s regular succession plans.

“We are very pleased to have the opportunity to add Octavio to the MSA Board,” said Robert A. Bruggeworth, MSA chairman. “He brings a broad range of executive leadership experience, including strategy development, capital allocation, business transformation and serving international markets, which will serve MSA well.”

“Octavio’s perspectives will be an asset to me and our entire Executive Leadership Team,” said Steven C. Blanco, MSA president and CEO. “It is a pleasure to welcome Octavio to MSA, and I look forward to working with him.”

Mr. Marquez joined Diebold Nixdorf in 2014 and has held senior leadership roles across the company’s Global Banking organization and its Americas region, including as executive vice president of Global Banking and senior vice president of the Americas. Before joining Diebold Nixdorf, Mr. Marquez held leadership positions at Dell EMC, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, IBM and NCR.

Diebold Nixdorf automates, digitizes and transforms the way people bank and shop. As a partner to the majority of the world’s top 100 financial institutions and top 25 global retailers, its integrated solutions connect digital and physical channels conveniently, securely and efficiently for millions of customers every day. Headquartered in North Canton, Ohio, Diebold Nixdorf employs approximately 20,000 employees globally, supporting more than 100 countries.

Mr. Marquez holds a degree in business and finance from Universidad Iberoamericana and has completed executive education programs at MIT Sloan, The Wharton School and The University of Texas at Austin.

About MSA Safety

MSA Safety Incorporated (NYSE: MSA) is the global leader in advanced industrial safety technology products and solutions. Driven by its singular mission of safety, the company has been at the forefront of safety innovation since 1914, protecting workers and facility infrastructure around the world across a broad range of diverse end markets while creating sustainable value for shareholders. With 2025 revenues of $1.9 billion, MSA Safety is headquartered in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania, and employs a team of approximately 5,300 associates across its more than 40 international locations. For more information, please visit www.MSASafety.com.

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SOURCE MSA Safety

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BlueFolder Field Service Software Launches New AI-Powered Features to Transform How Teams Work

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59 minutes ago

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July 21, 2026

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New AI capabilities instantly surface customer insights and transform technician notes into actionable summaries to help field service teams work faster, stay aligned, and deliver better service

AUBURN, Ala., July 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — BlueFolder field service software recently announced the launch of two powerful new AI features: AI-Powered Customer Summaries and AI-Powered Field Notes Summarization. Together, these capabilities are designed to eliminate the time-consuming, manual work of reviewing fragmented customer records and lengthy technician notes—giving field service teams instant clarity to respond faster, make smarter decisions, and deliver exceptional service.

BlueFolder expands it’s field service and work order management suite with two exciting new AI field service features.

Built directly into the BlueFolder platform, both features leverage artificial intelligence to automatically compile and summarize complex, unstructured data into clear, easy-to-read overviews. The result: technicians, dispatchers, and managers always have the context they need, right when they need it.

AI-Powered Customer Summaries

As field service organizations grow, customer information becomes increasingly scattered across emails, service request logs, and communication histories. BlueFolder’s AI Customer Summary feature addresses this challenge head-on by consolidating those interactions into a single, actionable snapshot.

Instead of manually digging through multiple records before a service call or customer interaction, teams can now access a real-time summary highlighting key concerns, past service activity, and recent updates. The feature goes beyond basic summarization and surfaces critical business insights such as equipment past due for maintenance, approaching warranty expirations, and proactive revenue opportunities, empowering teams to recommend follow-ups or upgrades directly from the customer record.

Built-in traceability links each summary back to its original source communications, so users can validate insights with confidence, ensuring both speed and accuracy in every customer interaction.

AI-Powered Field Notes Summarization

In many service organizations, technicians log updates across multiple visits, often resulting in long, fragmented notes that are difficult to review at a glance. BlueFolder’s AI Field Notes Summarization feature solves this by automatically condensing multiple technician entries into a structured summary that highlights key milestones, actions taken, and next steps.

Rather than scrolling through pages of updates, managers and dispatchers can immediately understand job status and determine what needs to happen next, improving alignment between field and office teams, accelerating decision-making, and reducing miscommunication. The feature is especially valuable for complex or multi-day jobs, where clear continuity and smooth technician handoffs are critical to delivering consistent service. It’s another featuring making BlueFolder’s work order management software capabilities stronger every day.

“History is one of the most powerful tools a service team has — the problem is it’s usually buried. BlueFolder’s new AI features fix that. Your team walks into every interaction already knowing the customer, knowing the equipment, and exactly where things stand. That changes the entire experience,” says John Shaw, VP, Technology, Service Operations.

AI as a Core Part of the BlueFolder Platform

The launch of these two features reflects BlueFolder’s broader commitment to embedding AI throughout its field service management software as an integrated layer of intelligence that makes every workflow smarter. Rather than requiring teams to change how they work, BlueFolder’s AI capabilities are designed to surface the right information at the right moment automatically, within the tools that technicians, dispatchers, and managers already use every day.

“AI is transforming what’s possible in field service, and BlueFolder is answering that call. These features are the result of deep platform expertise and a clear vision for where the industry is headed. We’re embedding intelligence throughout the platform because we know it makes our customers more competitive, more efficient, and better positioned to grow,” says Stephen Myslicki, Group President of Field Services.

Availability

Both AI-Powered Customer Summaries and AI-Powered Field Notes Summarization are available now to BlueFolder customers as optional, easy-to-enable features within the platform. They are part of BlueFolder’s growing suite of AI-driven capabilities designed to help field service organizations operate more efficiently and scale with confidence.

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SOURCE BlueFolder

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