Shopping Scams Spike During the Holidays

Unfortunately, scams have become part of daily life and during the holidays, criminals are especially active with package delivery, online shopping, and other seasonal schemes.

An AARP survey revealed that over 80% of adults have faced some form of fraud, yet many of us are unaware of the tactics criminals use – especially in online shopping. With nearly a quarter of us planning to shop online even more this year, here’s what to know.

Package Scams – Fake notifications abound from the likes of UPS and FedEx about an alleged shipment issue.

• Criminals send out droves of texts, claiming a delivery is on hold because of an issue with your address, insufficient postage, nobody was home to receive it, or some other ‘problem’. You’re asked to click a link or call a given number to address the alleged issue. 
• Avoid clicking on links from texts, even from senders you think are legitimate; rather, type the web address into your browser directly, use your app if that’s an option, or contact the shipping company using a verified phone number (for example, look up the number at UPS.com vs. “googling” for it; you may come across a listing that a criminal paid for). 

Online Shopping Scams – Making a purchase through an online ad may lead to fraud.

• Fraud criminals set up professional-looking websites offering popular items at a deep discount. When consumers purchase these supposed deals, they find the product they receive is not what was advertised, or they receive nothing at all. 
• Be suspicious of any online offer that offers a deep discount over what other retailers offer. Do your online shopping with trusted retailers. 

Gift Card Graft – Giving or receiving a gift card that has no value on it isn’t uncommon.

• Criminals manipulate cards on store racks or use electronic means to scan for activated gift cards online and drain the value off the cards. 
• Consider purchasing gift cards directly from the retailer online and register it if that’s an option. Use the card sooner than later to improve odds that you’ll get to spend the balance before a criminal can.