Holiday Scam

Posted by mctracy On December 15, 2022

Don’t fall victim to scams this holiday season. The best way to prevent yourself from being scammed is to familiarize yourself with common tactics. The FBI has some tips.

“The two most prevalent of these holiday scams are non-delivery and non-payment crimes. In a non-delivery scam, a buyer pays for goods or services they find online, but those items are never received. Conversely, a non-payment scam involves goods or services being shipped, but the seller is never paid.” (FBI).

One common scam involves gift cards. Cyber criminals pose as legitimate institutions to try to trick you into sending them money.

“Scammers love gift cards because they’re almost impossible to trace. Many holiday scams revolve around buying and selling fraudulent gift cards or tricking you into giving up the numbers on the backs of gift cards (usually by impersonating your bank or government agencies).” (Aura).

The best way to avoid scams is to practice good cyber hygiene.

“Don’t click any suspicious links or attachments in emails, on websites, or on social media. Phishing scams and similar crimes get you to click on links and give up personal information like your name, password, and bank account number. In some cases, you may unknowingly download malware to your device. Be especially wary if a company asks you to update your password or account information. Look up the company’s phone number on your own and call the company.” (FBI).

Additionally, if you do happen to become a victim of a scam, don’t stand idly by. There are steps you can take to undergo damage control.

“If you think you’ve been the victim of a holiday shopping scam, acting fast can make a big difference. With a quick response, you can limit the damage on your accounts, increase the chances of retrieving your money, and potentially aid police in catching the perpetrator.” (Aura).

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