Beware - Avoid Holiday Scams!

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Hello WA Community…I hope you are all having a wonderfully productive holiday season. I apologize for the longer-than-usual post. It is an IMPORTANT message!


Every year, thousands of people become victims of holiday scams. Scammers can rob you of hard-earned money, personal information, and, at the very least, your festive mood.

The holidays should be a time for family and friends - but all too often, scammers will do everything they can to ruin your celebrations by trying to fraud you.

Scammers work year-round but prey on the increase of online payments and web usage during the holidays, especially major shopping holidays such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

It’s a devastating and time-consuming misfortune to experience.

However, you can protect yourself by knowing what typical scams run during the holidays, what they look like, and how to verify if they are legitimate offers.

I have compiled a list of several common holiday scams and helpful tips to help you avoid becoming a victim this holiday season.

Beware of Fraudsters

The holidays are meant to be a season full of cheer and goodwill. Unfortunately, fraudsters use the holidays to scam unsuspecting people out of their hard-earned money - they also feast on older folks as they may not be savvy in today's modern electronic world and devices.

Here is a list 4 of common scams:

...and some helpful tips so you can avoid becoming a victim.

Payment Service Scams

Cybercriminals use payment platforms like PayPal, Zelle, Cash App, Apple Pay, and Venmo to steal victims’ funds. These scams often begin with a spoofed phone call or text message from a financial institution’s fraud department warning about a suspicious transfer.

>>> If you receive a call from someone warning about fraud, hang up. If you believe the call might be legitimate, look up the number of the organization supposedly calling you. Then, call that number back to verify the original call came from them and not a scammer.

Charity Scams

It's unfortunate and hurts those who can use the help but be wary when giving to charities this time of year, especially those you are not very familiar with.

>>> Before donating to an organization, search for it on a website like CharityNavigator.com. They are a charity assessment organization that evaluates hundreds of thousands of charitable organizations based in the United States. They provide insights into a nonprofit’s financial stability and adherence to best practices for both accountability and transparency.

>>> If you have a favorite cause, contact them DIRECTLY yourself instead of clicking on an ad that appears to represent them.

Bogus Sites

Only shop on reputable sites like Amazon, Etsy, Walmart, and other sites you are familiar with. Remember to check the website address/URL before placing an order.

>>> Scammers are experts at mimicking reputable companies and creating sites and emails with real-looking logos and copy that are strikingly similar to legit ones. Still, if one letter is off or missing, the site is bogus, and you should immediately exit and delete the message. Also, always look for the critical “s” after the “http” in the web address to verify a site’s security - and ensure it comes from a legit email.

Fake Shipping Notices from UPS and FedEx

You may receive suspicious emails allegedly from UPS or FedEx that claim your package has a problem and could not be delivered. Many of these emails are phishing attacks that make you click on a link or open an attachment.

Fake Account Lock or Password Reset Notices/ Emails

You may receive suspicious emails allegedly from legit companies like Amazon, PayPal, and others claiming your account has a problem and may have been compromised. They will request that you need "click here" to reset your password and perhaps other vital information like your social security number and birthday, bank account number, or additional important information. Many of these emails are phishing attacks that make you click on a link or open an attachment.

>>> You should immediately exit and delete the message. Then to be sure, contact them DIRECTLY yourself instead of clicking on any link in the email or text and confirm with them if there are, in fact, any issues you need to fix.

Here are some more to be aware of:

*** Note: an HMRC scam mainly consists of an automated phone call with a prerecorded voice letting you know that you are under investigation for an unpaid bill. The message may threaten people of taking severe legal actions against them.

Ways to Protect Yourself

  • Don’t respond to unsolicited emails, phone calls, or text messages asking for account or debit card numbers or other personal information
  • Sign up to receive bank and credit account alerts
  • Review activity on your bank and credit card accounts and report any suspicious activity immediately
  • If you receive an alert regarding unusual activity on your credit or debit card, please get in touch with the issuing bank or card immediately - you may want to talk to their fraud department
  • Never share passwords and PIN numbers with anyone
  • Be careful what you post on social media. The sites are frequent hangouts for fraudsters. Too many people post when they are not home or upload vacation pictures while they are on vacation or visiting (do that AFTER you return home)

Finally, ensure that your financial and credit card institutions have your current address, email, and phone number so we can contact you quickly should any suspicious activity arise.

Stay safe this holiday season!


As always, your thoughts, questions, and feedback are welcome!

Have a great and productive week!

-Mike

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Recent Comments

54

An absolutely important message!!!!
I appreciate your blog to warn and remind us that as we get smarter . the SCAMMERS get much more CUNNING than us, and to be very CAREFUL especially this time of the year!! They can even copy the logo and everything else , to make it appear very legit!!

Thank you Mike!

Cheers,
Maria

You are right, they mimic real sites, fraudulently copy logos and make themselves look so real.

I to almost fell for a scam, but when the caller couldn’t tell me what card was charged (they supposedly were going to give me some credit) — and all they kept asking for was a credit card account so that they could process a credit to … when I called them out — they hung-up!

-Mike

Some very important admonishments here, Mike! Thanks for this important share, my friend!

Jeff

You are very welcome Jeff…enjoy your Frisatsu!

-Mike

Thanks, Mike! I hope you are enjoying yours, as well!

Jeff

Yes sir! Chinese food and a few holiday shows with the wife!

-Mike

That sounds awesome, Mike! I love Chinese food!

Jeff

Boneless spare ribs…they were very good!

-Mike

I'll bet that they were, Mike!

Jeff

Yes they sure were.

-Mike

YUM!! I'm a little jealous, Mike!

Jeff

This is correct; there are even more scams that call you and claim you've won something, or send you texts requesting money.

You are right Jannette! They are getting very brazen — and very sophisticated.

-Mike

We have to be careful about this. Thanks for sharing this information.

You are so right Brenda…and to make things worse these scams are becoming very sophisticated.

-Mike

Good message, I had a scam that involved publishers clearing house

That is so unfortunate. Too bad many have as well. Thank you for sharing.

-Mike

Thanks Mike. Good to know. :)

Thank you

-Mike

Good reminders…thanks for caring ❤️

You are very welcome Hazel!

-Mike

Thanks Mike,
useful information and advice. Thanks,
luckily they wouldn't scratch me right now😁

Greetings,
Slavka

Thank you Slavka!

-Mike

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