The holidays are typically the time of year for gifting presents to friends and family or donations to charity. Unfortunately, not-so-jolly fraudsters take advantage of this generosity. Protect yourself by watching for these common scams:
If it seems too good to be true, it likely is. Before handing over your credit card number, verify the brand, URL, and legitimacy of the item or retailer in question.
In the age of online shopping, you’re likely receiving many shipping notifications. However, fraudsters are now posing as USPS, FedEx, UPS, and Amazon in an attempt to get access to your personal information. If you believe there is a genuine issue with a real package, contact the business directly and do not click on any suspicious links.
If you are purchasing gift cards for others, make sure the bar code or PIN have not been exposed or compromised. Also, your “boss” will not text or email you out of the blue to urgently buy thousands of dollars of gift cards.
While you may have good intentions, fraudsters do not. Make sure your charitable donations are directed to legitimate organizations that you trust.
Shop smart this holiday season by staying informed, verifying sources, and exercising caution in all online transactions.
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