Beware of Holiday Scams
Protect your personal and financial information while shopping this holiday season.
Tips for Safe Shopping During the Holidays
- Only make purchases through reputable companies. With more people shopping online, it’s important to check out a company’s reputation with the Better Business Bureau at bbb.org. You can also read consumer reviews by searching online for the company name, along with the word “complaint,” “review” or “scam.” Think twice before buying a product from an ad on social media. Instead, see if you can find the same product from a legitimate retailer or website.
- Beware of phony retail websites. Watch out for fake websites that look very similar to that of an actual online merchant. Scammers may try to lure you to such sites using ads, texts or unsolicited emails that promise a “free gift” or a great bargain. Check the website name very closely. Spelling or grammatical errors may tip you off to a bogus site. Avoid navigating to a website through a link in a text, ad or unsolicited email.
- If possible, use credit cards when making purchases. Credit cards offer greater protections against fraud than cash, debit cards, payment apps or cryptocurrency.
- Beware of package delivery scams. Scammers send texts and emails that purport to come from the U.S. Postal Service, UPS, or FedEx saying that you missed a delivery or there’s an update about your package. These imposters are trying to steal your money or sensitive data by prompting you to provide personal or payment information. Do not interact with the message.
- Watch out for fake order confirmations. Scammers may impersonate well-known retailers, such as Amazon, Walmart, Target or Costco, by sending a text message or email confirming a recent purchase you supposedly made totaling several thousand dollars. The message contains a link or phone number to call to cancel the order and receive a refund. But, if you follow the instructions, you will end up giving your money or account credentials to a scammer. You can safely verify the status of your account at any time by going to the verified website address of the retailer in question, where you can then view your orders, track shipments and securely contact customer service.
- Guard against thieves who may steal packages off your doorstep. Track packages so you know when they arrive.
- Beware of malicious links. Be wary about clicking on links to advertisements for holiday deals, e-greeting cards, notifications about package delivery problems, or warnings about compromised accounts. These may be from scammers who are hoping you will divulge personal or financial information or who are trying to get you to download malware onto your computer.
- Avoid bogus charities. Many charities solicit for donations around the holidays, but scammers like to get in on the action too. Avoid clicking on links in unsolicited texts or emails or on ads that pop-up in your social media accounts. Being asked to donate to a charity via wire transfer, gift cards or cryptocurrency is a red flag of a scam. Your safest bet is to initiate contact with the charity of your choice through a verified website or phone number.
- Check your bank and credit card accounts frequently. With the extra shopping you may be doing, an unauthorized charge might be harder to catch. Review your bank and credit card accounts often, and if you come across a charge you don’t recognize, contact your financial provider immediately so that you can report the fraudulent charge, cancel the compromised card, and request a replacement card.