Keeping the Season Magical for Your Family
Every year, thousands of people become victims of holiday scams. Scammers are always looking for a way of taking advantage of the holiday spirit to get you out of your money. Knowing how to spot these scams will help keep your holiday season special!
Very common holiday scams include:
- Non-delivery scams, where you pay for goods or services you find online, but you never receive your items
- Non-payment scams, where you ship purchased goods or services, but you never receive payment for them
- Auction fraud, where a product you purchase was misrepresented on an auction site
- Gift card fraud, where a seller asks you to pay with a pre-paid card
According to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center’s 2023 report, non-payment and non-delivery scams cost people more than $309 Million that year, with another $173 million reported in credit card fraud.
How do you keep your family safe?
Practice good cybersecurity 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.
- Never give out your online banking login information (Login ID, Password) or any one-time passcodes regardless of who the caller claims to be. No legitimate business will ask you for this information.
Know who you’re buying from or selling to.
- Check each website’s URL to make sure it’s legitimate and secure. A site you’re buying from should have https in the web address. If it doesn’t, don’t enter your information on that site.
- If you’re purchasing from a company for the first time, do your research and check reviews.
- Verify the legitimacy of a buyer or seller before moving forward with a purchase. If you’re using an online marketplace or auction website, check their feedback rating. Be wary of buyers and sellers with mostly unfavorable feedback ratings or no ratings at all.
- Avoid sellers who act as authorized dealers or factory representatives of popular items in countries where there would be no such deals.
- Be wary of sellers who post an auction or advertisement as if they reside in the U.S. but then respond to questions by stating they are out of the country on business, family emergency, or similar reasons.
- Avoid buyers who request their purchase be shipped using a certain method to avoid customs or taxes inside another country.
Be careful how you pay.
- Never wire money directly to a seller.
- Avoid paying for items with pre-paid gift cards. In these scams, a seller will ask you to send them a gift card number and PIN. Instead of using that gift card for your payment, the scammer will steal the funds, and you’ll never receive your item.
- Use a credit card when shopping online and check your statement regularly. If you see a suspicious transaction, contact your credit card company to dispute the charge. This also allows you to keep your checking accounts protected against compromise. Central Willamette does offer credit card options. For more info check out our Credit Cards
Monitor the shipping process.
- Always get tracking numbers for items you buy online, so you can make sure they have been shipped and can follow the delivery process.
- Be suspect of any credit card purchases where the address of the cardholder does not match the shipping address when you are selling. Always receive the cardholder’s authorization before shipping any products.
Click the link to learn more about Common Scams.