BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. — During the holiday season, online scams become more prevalent as many consumers are shopping online, which is why an instructor at SouthTech Academy in Palm Beach County is teaching her cybersecurity students all about it.
Every year in December, Linda Berkheimer, an information technology and cybersecurity instructor at SouthTech Academy prepares an important lesson plan for her students as consumers scramble to finish their holiday shopping.
"Unfortunately, more and more people are trying to take the shortened version of getting money," Berkheimer told WPTV. "The scams right now, your guard is down, you're in the giving mode, and that's the problem."
From fake delivery notifications to spam text messages that often carry deals too good to be true, Berkheimer said the key is to refrain from clicking on suspicious links.
She said it's a lesson that is useful for not only consumers but her students too.
"They're in the right place at the right time for getting excellent jobs," Berkheimer said.
"I think online safety is a big issue, especially now," Joseph Flores, one of Berkheimer's senior students, told WPTV.
That's why Flores said he is looking forward to pursuing a career in cybersecurity.
"We keep getting new and newer technology and kids are getting younger and younger working with cellphones, and I think cybersecurity is a big thing for them to learn and study," Flores said. "I feel like it's helped me secure my future and if I ever do end up with a family, I'll be able to pass down my knowledge to them."
"Cybersecurity, it's never going to go away," Berkheimer said. "It's only going to get bigger and bigger, better for you and me but also more dangerous for you and me because of the bad guys."
Those bad guys are keeping Berkheimer educating her students on how to avoid online scams now and in future holiday seasons.