Holidays are a prime time for scammers as people spend billions on gifts and gadgets when they are on off. Scammers know people are juggling millions of things including shopping lists, trip planning, and big presents to their loved ones. They take advantage of all this and swoop in with fake ads, too-good-to-be-true deals, and flashy discounts. People become tempted to save the deal and pay for it without giving a second thought. One-click, and all the money’s gone.
Not only this, there are porch pirates who steal packages from porches. Doorsteps turn a personal stocking stuffer for thieves during the holiday season. They flip off the packages left outside the homes after delivery. According to USA TODAY around $76 billion are at risk in the upcoming holiday season. But still, you do not need to panic! This post offers you the pro tips to avoid holiday scams.
How Do Holiday Scams Work?
Holiday scams come in different shapes and sizes but with the same goal: to steal cash in online payments, hijack financial details, and swipe clean your bank account. They catch you off guard when you are decorating your holidays and spending a lot of money on shopping. Before this holiday scammers play a long game in which they study trends and learn what is hot in the market. After this, they use this knowledge to lay the bait to ensnare innocent holiday shoppers. The thing is, scammers know you’re distracted. That is why they take advantage of your rush of holiday. Here is how holiday scams work:
Fake Websites and Ads
Holiday scammers run flashy ads that appear in your feeds when you scroll down. The ad offers heavy discounts using catching lines gift of the year. You click on the ad and it takes you to a legit-looking website at once. It shows a portal to fill out the payment and other details. You click to pay the amount and the money vanishes into thin air.
Phishing and Smishing
Sometimes you get emails or text messages from a shipping company, favorite store, and even banks mentioning your package is delayed, click the link below to reschedule. In the hot moment, you click the link and end up losing your personal and financial details.
Porch Pirates
Porch pirates are old-school thieves who do this out of the virtual world. They lurk around your house like hawks and swoop in to snatch the packages and fly away before you check the cameras. People on holidays are prone to these types of thefts when they are not home and their package arrives.
Too-Good-To-Be-True Offers
Sometimes people come across ads offering cheap collectibles or antique art pieces. Tempted with the offer they rush to catch the deal in the hope of possessing an expensive gift. But as soon they pay the amount they realize they are duped. But by that time it was too late.
What are the Different Types of Holiday Scams?
There are various types of holiday scams depending on different types of means of methods scammers use to scam people. These scams keep evolving over time and take new shapes and sizes to deceive people in new ways and steal money from them. Here are some common examples of holiday scams:
Phishing Scams
Holiday-related phishing is widespread and scammers often impersonate well-known retailers to send emails offering heavy discounts. It asks you to fill out the bank details all again to avail of the offers and make the payment as the earlier payment could not complete due to some technical reasons. But as soon as you fill out the details and make the payment you lose your hard-earned money to the fraudster.
Grandparent Scams
Scammers target grandparents in the holidays impersonating their grandchildren in need of immediate financial help. They approach the aged people with false stories to create a sense of urgency. They ask their grandparents to pay for the money or they will end up in jail. In the heat of the moment and to save their children, grandparents pay them money at once.
Fake Charities
The holiday is a prime time for scammers when they exploit the goodwill of people to steal money in the form of charity. They pose as fake charities working for the good of poor and backward people. People in the hope of doing something good to bring light to the life of the poor donate money to these swindlers. But in reality, all their money goes to the coffers of anti-social elements who do no good to the public.
Travel Scams
Travel scams are one of the most prevalent scams on holidays. Everyone wants to travel in their leisure time and explore the untrodden realms in the hope of finding some solace from their busy life. Cybercriminals set up fake travel sites and offer cheap deals on flight tickets and travel packages with premium packages on holidays. People become tempted with these deals and pay the amount to book the flights and get the holiday package. But they found that it was a scam.
Gift Card Scams
Gift card are the golden ticket for scammers in the holiday seasons. They exploit peoples goodwill of supporting a friend in need of urgen support. They play different tricks to lure individuals in their trap and steal their money. For example they send email impersonating your boss asking for buying gifts urgently for the surprise office party tomorrow. Sometimes they offer you heavy discounts on gift cards with rewards. If you take these offers for real you will end up becoming prey to gift card scams.
Package Delivery Scams
Fraudsters send fake package delivery notifications to the individuals asking them to click and fill the delivery address again to reschedule or fix the delivery errors. But the links they send are tampered to steal your personal and financial details. You fix nothing instead it downloads malware on your device that dismantle everything in your device. It tracks your browsing history, steals important passwords and dismantle your device`s operating system.
Seasonal Online Employment Scams
Seasonal online employment scams are fake offers of lucrative jobs in holiday seasons scammers use to steal cash from people who are looking to earn some extra cash in their free time. Scammers send tempting offers that includes work from home or seasonal warehouse jobs with fake promises of huge earnings in holiday season. They ask some upfront fee to secure the job. When you pay them the upfront they fly away leaving no trace behind. Sometimes, they ask for bank information to deposit the amount directly in your account.
How to Avoid Scams in the Holiday Season?
With so many dangers lurking everywhere, it can feel a bit nerve-racking to stay scam-free in the holidays. Scammers prey on your excitement, generosity, and hasty decisions. But don’t worry! The key to staying cautious is to stay alert and awake during your interactions. You have to trust your instincts when you are whipping a deal. Here are some effective tips that help you stay safe from holiday fraudsters:
Confirm Too Good to Be True Deals
Don’t take too good to be true deals for true. Fraudsters know that people are looking for cheap deals online for holidays. As a result, they set up fake websites and ads offering unbelievable discounts on products and packages. They are all honey traps all set to steal your money. Make sure to confirm such deals when they pop up on your screen before taking any actions. Otherwise, you will end up having a whole lot of regret and loss of money. The best thing is to stick to authorized dealers and certified online platforms. New and lesser-known sites are not reliable sources for holiday shopping. Always authenticate them before you pay them online.
Watch Out for Phishing Scams
Beware of clicking unknown and suspicious links attached in the emails and SMS. Cybercriminals use fake emails and SMS to attach phishing links and send them to the shoppers. These emails seem to be coming from a trusted company or financial institution. They can look like urgent messages that require urgent actions. But when you click the link it steals your personal data and uses it to steal your hard-earned money. Hence, it is highly recommended that you watch out for phishing links and avoid clicking fake links attached to emails coming from suspicious sources.
Avoid Fake Charity Scams
Don’t donate any money to charity campaigns on holidays. Fraudsters build a whole new charity campaign to target people on off days. They create stories and set up complete websites that look real. But it is highly recommended that you confirm all the facts about the charity platforms and their relief. If you find any contradiction or unsolicited donation requests then do not donate any money.
Keep an Eye on Your Packages
Don’t leave your packages outside your porch. During the holiday season, it is often seen that packages arrive and pile up outside your door. Porch pirates swoop in and steal packages off your door. It is highly recommended to track your deliveries and be present when the package arrives. At the time of placing the order choose the option of signature or confirmation code during the delivery time. It will keep you up to date about the timings and arrivals of the package.
Be Careful with Gift Cards
Gift card scams are widely prevalent during holidays. In this type of scam, fraudsters contact you through a call or message and ask you for urgent help. They tell you a story that is hard to resist and you feel obligated to take action. They will ask you to buy gift cards and send them to them so that they can pay for their expenses in the foreign country. If you ever come across this unusual situation then stop and think a little. Someone may be typing to steal your money using the gift card scam. Don’t approve of such requests or you will end up losing your hard-earned money and precious details.
Keep Your Social Media in Check
Sharing everything on social media such as holiday shopping sprees and new gadgets you have recently is not a safe habit. Scammers hover everywhere and collect all the information about you from social media. Using this information they approach you and scam you on holidays. So avoid telling people about everything you buy or eat or travel on holidays. It will keep the online fraudsters in check.
Monitor Your Bank Accounts
It is highly recommended to regularly check your bank account statements to detect unauthorized transactions and payments. Keep the login details of your online payment gateways a top secret. Do not share credit card or bank details with anyone. Use strong and unique passwords to protect important access points and payment channels. Use a factor authentication service to add an extra layer of security. These measures will protect your bank account and prevent holiday scammers from stealing your money.
