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The holidays are here, and with that comes ample opportunities for scammers to intervene with tricky and malicious schemes. At this time of year, when spending is high and financial activity is nearly constant from purchasing gifts and enjoying local events full of holiday cheer, it is crucial to be extra vigilant. Below are a few things to keep top-of-mind when navigating this busy time of year:
Give to Legitimate Organizations
The holiday season is the season of giving. It’s a time when people tend to give back to their communities and to causes they care deeply about—for any array of reasons. However, fraudsters know and take advantage of consumers’ trend of supporting charities during this time of year. The IRS shares a few key tips on spotting fake charities and steps to take before donating that would be excellent to review, including verifying it’s a legitimate tax-exempt charity, not giving in to pressure, not providing more than needed, and being wary of how the donation is presented/requested.
Beware of Text and Email Package Delivery Scams
Another increasingly common scam is fake texts and/or emails appearing to be from a known delivery service, such as the United States Postal Service (USPS), United Parcel Service (UPS), Fed-Ex, or DHL. These messages often state there is trouble with delivering your item(s) and they need more information from you to help process your delivery. These are not legitimate communications and should not be addressed. Delete (and even report if you can) the message and never provide your personal information.
Incomplete deliveries can be an inconvenience, especially with deadlines for gift-giving, but stay on top of what you are expecting, their shipping status, and which service will be delivering the package(s) so you don’t get trapped in this kind of scam. You can also request a signature for your deliveries so nothing can be dropped off without that acknowledgement, allowing you to personally see to all incoming items and manage package status(es).
Shop from Trusted Sources
It can be tough to pass up a good deal, especially with a mountain of holiday shopping for a variety of people on the to-do list, but be careful of where you spend your money online. As technology continues to advance, it’s becoming easier for scammers to create e-commerce sites to entice shoppers with the sole purpose of obtaining personal financial information. Essentially, a consumer would add items to their cart and check out after entering credit card information, but the fake website simply takes the card information and the consumer never receives any items. This is why it is good to regularly review bank statements and credit reports to ensure all activity reported is your own, ensuring that your information has remained only in your hands. When shopping online, be sure to only shop from known, trusted retailers.
In Conclusion
You can never be too careful with your private, personal information. To protect yourself, be sure to take caution any time you do something involving your finances and/or sensitive information. Review tips and news on current fraud schemes often so you know what to look for and stay away from. And as always—when in doubt, don’t give it out!