 |
|
|
Gift Card Scams:
Gift card purchases are becoming more and more pervasive during the holiday season, and thieves are primed to take advantage of unsuspecting consumers. The trick to stealing money from a gift card is that criminals write down the activation number on the back of the gift card, then wait for someone to buy the card and activate it. They can then use the number to do a little holiday shopping online.
Protect Yourself:
Only buy gift cards with scratch-off PIN numbers or peel away stickers. Also, take notice as to whether or not the cards are located behind the cashier’s counter — and always keep the receipt. Also be aware of any fine print on cards that might mean there is an expiration date or that monthly fees could be deducted after a certain number of months.
Online Shopping Scams:
Millions of people will hit the Web as opposed to shopping at brick-and-mortar stores this holiday season. Scam artists have figured out a new way to take advantage of online customers. When placing an order with retail sites like Amazon.com, Target.com or Walmart.com, you may receive an e-mail stating that there has been some malfunction with your order and you must re-enter your info — like a credit card number, for instance.
Protect Yourself:
Don’t do it. No legitimate retailer will ever request that you re-enter information via e-mail; call the site’s help number or the retailer directly.
Charity Scams:
Charity fraud becomes an unfortunate reality during the holidays, as the public’s generosity tends to be at a high point during the Christmas season. Commonly, charities for firefighters, war veterans, and police departments are the ones scammers use to fool people. Sadly, while most want to donate to help their local public servants, in the case of the posers — the majority of the money typically ends up going to telemarketers.
Protect Yourself:
The simplest way to protect yourself is to only donate to organizations that you are already familiar with. The second best way is to check online with sites that review nonprofits. You want to find out the percentage of your donation that gets to the people in need vs. the amount spent as “overhead.” – todd williams
A few Web sites that review charities include opm.gov/cfc, charitywatch.org, charitynavigator.org and standardsforexcellenceinstitute.org.
