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Don’t Let Scams Spoil Your Holiday Season
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The holiday season is upon us, and while you may be prepared to spend a little extra on gifts, food, decorations, and charitable donations during this time of year, you likely don’t have room in your budget for lost or stolen funds. Unfortunately, thousands of people each year fall prey to holiday scams – especially non-delivery and nonpayment crimes – which could leave you in a financial bind that stretches far beyond the festive season. Nondelivery scams affect those who pay for goods but don't receive them, while nonpayment scams involve providing services without receiving payment. This article will delve into four common holiday scams to help you recognize and avoid them.
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Secure Your Special Deliveries Billions of packages are shipped each holiday season, and online scammers have come up with several ways to steal joy – and money – from both shippers and recipients. Here are some common package-related scams to look out for: - A text or email inviting you to click a link to track your package, get a delivery update, provide updated drop-off instructions, change your payment method or delivery date, or pay a shipping fee
- A text, email, or voicemail prompting you to call a phone number about an urgent issue related to your delivery
- Any communication supposedly originating from a merchant or shipper that includes overly urgent language, misspellings, errors, and imperfect logos
Tip: Go back to your original orders to see tracking numbers and check their progress regularly.
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Be On Guard for Unusual Gift Card Requests and Offers According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), gift cards are the most reported payment method for scams. Fraud may come in the following forms: - Text messages, emails, voicemails, or social media messages claiming the recipient owes money to a government agency like the IRS or a utility company demanding immediate payment by gift card
- Texts, emails, voicemails, or social media messages with the composer claiming to be a loved one who needs help in the form of gift card funds
- Texts, emails, voicemails, or social media messages claiming you have won free gift cards and requesting personal information so you can claim your prize or soliciting gift card contributions for false fundraisers for charities or causes
Tip: No legitimate government agency, utility company, charitable organization, or merchant will require payment in gift cards – so receiving a message that you must is a huge red flag.
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Take a Second Look at Temporary Job Offers Lots of legitimate companies need extra help around the holidays to keep up with increased demand. But scammers are out there taking advantage of opportunities to prey on seasonal job seekers. Be suspicious if you see any of these elements in a job listing: - Requests for payment for your application, training, or supplies
- Promises of high wages for routine or low-effort tasks
- Requirements that applicants work for free initially to show their skill level
Tip: As much as possible, stick to local businesses you know when applying for seasonal jobs. Avoid following up on listings that offer high pay for minimal work, request payments for your own supplies or training, or insist you work for free for a while to prove your value.
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Do Your Research Before You Donate It’s the season of giving, and many people are being extra generous to the causes and charities they support. Criminals can take advantage of these good intentions by making urgent requests via email, text, voicemail, or social media, sometimes requesting contributions in unusual formats – like gift cards, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency. Tip: To avoid falling into a fake charity trap, always investigate the organization before you donate. Sites like Charity Navigator are a good place to start. Contact nonprofits and other groups directly if you’ve received an unsolicited fundraising request.
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What to Do You If You Think You’ve Been Scammed By keeping a watchful eye out for potential scams, we hope you’ll be safe this holiday season. But if you ever do fall into a scammer’s trap – or think you might have – there are things you can do to reduce the impact. - First, report the scam to local law enforcement and file a complaint with the FBI, especially if it has resulted in a large loss or if you think your personal information might be compromised, which could cause you problems in the future.
- Temporarily freeze your credit reports to prevent scammers from opening accounts in your name.
- Alert your banks and credit institutions to be on the lookout for future suspicious transactions. They may even be able to help you get your money back.
- And finally, file a complaint with the FTC to help protect others from similar scams.
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Holiday Closures Veterans' Day - Monday, November 11th Thanksgiving - Thursday, November 28th Day after Thanksgiving - Friday, November 29th
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