AVOIDING HOLIDAY SCAMS

Internet Scams

• Protect your personal info. Be sure you are not sharing personal or credit card information over public Wi-Fi. Wait until you are on a secure network to make a purchase.
• Gift cards are a convenient gift for the holidays, to ensure your gift card is protected, avoid the rack and ask for one directly from the counter.
• There may appear to be deals galore over the holidays, and many of them are on social media – but not all of them are legitimate. Carefully read reviews, look for security credentials on websites, and research unfamiliar retailers before you take advantage of a discount.
• Seniors or older adults may also be scammed by being told they can get medical equipment with very little paperwork, and that Medicare will cover the cost.
• Keep software applications and operating systems up-to-date.
• Create strong passwords by using upper and lower case letters, numbers and special characters. Use a password manager and two methods of verification.
• Watch for suspicious activity that asks you to do something right away, offers something that sounds too good to be true or needs your personal information. Think before you click. When in doubt, do NOT click.
• Protect your home and/or business using a secure Internet connection and Wi-Fi network, and change passwords regularly.
• Do not share PINs or passwords. Use devices that use biometric scans when possible (e.g. fingerprint scanner or facial recognition).
• Check your account statements and credit reports regularly.
• Be cautious about sharing personal financial information, such as your bank account number, social security number, or credit card number. Only share personal information on secure sites that begin with https://. Do not use sites with invalid certificates. Use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) that creates a more secure connection.
• Use antivirus solutions, malware and firewalls to block threats.
• Back up your files regularly in an encrypted file or encrypted file storage device.
• Do not click on links in texts or emails from people you do not know. Scammers can create fake links to websites.
• Remember that the government will not call, text, or contact you via social media about owing money or receiving economic impact payments.
• Keep in mind that scammers may try to take advantage of financial fears by calling with work-from-home-opportunities, debt consolidation offers and student loan repayment plans.
• Be on the lookout for scams that target military personnel and their loved ones.
• Grandparent scammers pretend to be family members or loved ones, desperate for money after an accident or serious situation. These con artists will prey on your emotions – be sure to check the story out first, and reach out to other loved ones to help confirm the claim.
• Kidnapping scams are also on the rise – scammers will contact you and claim they have kidnapped your loved ones or a member of your family, demanding a ransom to release them.
• Jury duty scammers work year-round, claiming to be from the sheriff’s office or local law enforcement, insisting you’ve missed jury duty or a court date and demanding you pay a fine. Remember that real law enforcement officials will never call you to threaten you with arrest or demand money.

Phone Scams

• Don’t answer calls from unknown numbers.
• Don’t return one-ring calls from unknown numbers. These may be scams to get you to call hotlines in African and Caribbean countries that have U.S.-style three-digit area codes, and you could incur hefty connection and per-minute fees.
• Don’t follow instructions on a prerecorded message, such as “Press 1” to speak to a live operator (it will probably lead to a phishing expedition) or press any key to get taken off a call list (it will probably lead to more robocalls).
• Don’t give personal or financial data, such as your Social Security number or credit card account number, to callers you don’t know. If they say they have the information and just need you to confirm it, that’s a trick.
• Don’t pay registration or shipping charges to get a supposed free product or prize. Such fees are ploys to get your payment information.
• Don’t make payments by gift card, prepaid debit card or wire transfer. Fraudsters favor these methods because they are hard to trace.