How to Have a Scam free Christmas

Christmas is here with us again! The season to be joyful and connect with loved ones. This season, protect your purse, your wallet and your cheer from scam. Scammers constantly seek to take advantage of the busyness and increased spending of the season to rip you off your joy, hard-earned cash and put a dent in your Christmas celebration.

Knowing what to look out for is especially important this season. Scammers always invent creative new ways to steal from you. What will you do if something doesn’t feel right, is too good to be true, seemingly off or unexpected  ? To keep you and your loved ones safe, here are some common Christmas scams to take note of.

Payment scams

Payment scams take several methods including gift cards, check cashing and overpayment scams. On the top of this list are gift cards.  Gift cards sales are expected to reach $510 million by the close of the year. Scammers know this season and they intend to take full advantage of it.

If you are urged to make payment for an online purchase with a gift card, think again. Gift cards are meant for presents.  Scammers lure consumers to purchase ridiculously low prices items on third party sites with gift cards. Once they are in possession of your gift card credentials from Apple, Amazon, Xbox, Netflix, DoorDash, or PlayStation, there is no way of getting it back. What’s more damaging? there is no way of tracking or cancelling the bogus purchase.

Next up is the cash checking scam.  A stranger approaches you outside a bank and asks you to cash a check in exchange for cash because they don’t have an account or left their ID home. It’s a scam. When the bad check doesn’t clear, it will be held against your account.

Lastly in this section is the overpayment scam. You receive a check overpayment for an item you’re selling. The buyer will immediately request that you send the difference through a wire transfer or gift card. You will later find out the check is bad and you have made a loss on the sold item. Remember ’tis the season to be merry. Avoid any kind of complicated compensation methods no matter how good it may sound.

Online Merchant Scams

During this festive season, there is a high probability you will encounter social media ads on Instagram or Facebook that offer eye catching deals on popular items. You are also likely to come across legitimate looking websites and online retail shops that look like those of reputed brands. Scammers create fake rental, perfect Christmas getaways websites and social media ads to take advantage of the holiday season to defraud buyers.

When responding to social media ads, independently research the integrity of the reseller and their products before making a purchase. Further more, take note of too good to be true items, fantastic deals, and hard to find products. Sellers of these products often request your personal information as part of the transaction. This is part of their scheme to harvest your information or steal your identity. Similarly, bogus checkout processes created on fake websites can have the same effect.

Once scammers access this data, they can use it to make purchases or carry out other activities to your disadvantage. The mere thought of having your digital identity stolen, together with the troubles that may follow is the last thing you need this Christmas!

Delivery Scams

We are all purchasing gifts for loved ones this season. This undoubtedly leads to a surge in online purchases and consequently, an increase in the amount of delivery notifications from retailers and carriers. Be on the lookout for phishing emails and texts about package deliveries. Scammers will try to trick you into clicking on a link in a text or email that could be used to steal your information or download malware on your device.

Alternatively, they may request that you pay additional shipping charges before a delivery is made. Delete unexpected or suspicious looking emails or texts immediately. When in doubt, do not click on links or attachments. Instead, contact the help desk teams of retailers and shipping companies directly from their apps or trusted websites to check your order status.

Spread the Christmas Cheer without fear

Scammers often use different tactics to fool people to fall for their scams. Don’t agree to complicated payment methods such as depositing a check, returning overpayment or making a purchase with a gift card. Gift cards are for presents and not payments.

Additionally, do your due diligence when making purchases on social media or online. Do a quick review to validate the reputation of sellers and their products. Before making a purchase, ask yourself if the transaction can be traced or the money retrieved.

Finally, do not fall for unexpected delivery notifications. They are are meant to steal your information, download malware onto your device or force you to make a payment. Resist the urgency to send money quickly no matter how pressing or threatening the message might seem.  It’s most likely to be a scam.

Christmas brings joy, merrymaking and excitement! Not stress over scams. Protect yourself and loved ones by staying vigilant, passing on this article or reading further on excellent tips for good cyber hygiene tips here.