Scammers use the holiday season to target people with holiday related messages. However, it is easy for you and your family to stay safe this season, by knowing common holiday scams and adopting an anti-phishing mindset.
Common scams during the holiday season include:
Fraudulent shopping sites. Be wary of too good to be true deals. Fraudulent sites will offer heavily discounted prices to unsuspecting shoppers. They may even have ads in social media or search engines. Any purchases made through these sites may be counterfeit goods or nothing at all.
Fake charities. During the holidays, charity scams attempt to exploit people's generosity through emotional appeals in email and social media. Decide the causes that are important to you and find a charity addressing those causes. You can research the charities through third-party organizations such as Wise Giving Alliance, Charity Navigator, and Charity Watch.
Suspicious shipping notifications. Did you receive a text or email about delayed shipping, re-scheduling, or updating your shipping information that is supposedly from UPS, FedEx, or USPS? Verify the sender is legitimate by contacting the organization directly through their official communication channel.
Watch out for emails, texts, or voice messages that:
These messages create a sense of urgency to influence your behavior and get you to provide personal or financial information.