Don’t let scammers steal your holiday cheer — the Let ABC15 Know team wants consumers to stay vigilant and shop safely this holiday season.
Don’t let your guard down, because the moment you do, scammers are waiting to take advantage of you and you must stay ahead by knowing what to look for.
First, watch out for AI phishing scams. That’s where fraudsters gather personalized details about you from online, like social media, and then use general AI to create a convincing, specific text or email that encourages you to click on the fraudulent links.
They may even try to lure you to call a fake number to get your personal information or money.
Remember, don’t click on any unexpected or urgent messages, and don’t open any suspicious email attachments.
If someone calls you unexpectedly trying to ask for your personal information, hang up!
Scammers know your password is valuable too, so don’t click or respond to any requests that prompt you to verify or reset any account passwords unless you initiated it.
There are a lot of cheerful givers during the holidays, and scammers know it, too. It’s a sad fact that scammers are posing as charities to try to steal your money.
Watch out for fake websites or social media profiles that try to mimic legitimate charities or organizations. Do your research before you donate and check the URL closely.
Not sure if a charity is legit? You can use irs.gov or Better Business Bureau’s give.org websites to verify legit charities.
Lastly, be careful when sending money through payment apps. Just like cash, once you hit send, it’s hard to get it back.
Consider using purchase protection through apps like PayPal and Venmo. This gives you coverage if there is a problem.
The coverage is for goods and services. Before you send a final payment, you can click the ‘Turn on Purchases’ button. It doesn’t cover payments sent to family and friends.
So, if someone urges you not to use purchase protection for a transaction, that’s a red flag.
