With the holiday seasons coming and going, it is important to keep an eye out for scammers trying to take advantage of your holiday cheer. In 2023, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) reported non-delivery scams (i.e., consumers ordering something and never receiving it) resulted in over $250 million in losses, and gift card fraud created a $148 million loss to consumers. Just in the first couple months of 2024, the FBI reported that from January to May, consumers lost nearly $1.6 billion to various scams. The FBI has issued a warning to consumers about the increasingly high risk of holiday-related fraud due to the projected $260 billion e-commerce sales for 2024. This is not meant to scare you from online shopping but hopefully promotes some caution when doing so. Here are a few tips to help you survive the holiday scams:

1. Check for encryption. Look in your browser’s location bar to make sure the website address begins with “https” and not “http.” The former is a secure website with added safeguards to their site to protect your information.
2. Choose reputable vendors. Always verify a business before entering your information. You can verify a business on the Better Business Bureau’s website and check customer reviews or complaints. Keep an eye out for fraudulent websites or ads offering goods for massive discounts, items purchased through third-party marketplaces, or puppy scams involving fake advertisements for pets (reported losses as of November 2024 were at $5.6 million).
3. Do not click the links in a message or email about an unexpected delivery. If you are not expecting a delivery (or even if you are), do not click the link. This is a common phishing scam that may allow scammers access to your device and the information on it. If you are expecting a delivery and receive a link, contact the shipping company directly with the email or phone number on the company’s website to get more information and do not click the link!
4. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Advertisements for FREE gift cards, holiday work, social media gift exchanges, or anything else with terms that are just too good to be true are likely scams that are trying to collect your personal information. Do not click on the ad or provide any information!
5. Beware of gift card fraud. This has become an increasingly common scam and involves various tactics to steal the value stored on gift cards. Scammers will manipulate the gift card packaging and steal the card information before the card is sold, so when a consumer purchases and loads money onto the card, the scammer can quickly drain the money into their own account. When purchasing a gift card, keep an eye out for visible tears in the zigzag cuts around the perimeter of the secure pack or nicks along the pull tabs (slightly bend tab back and forth to see if this has occurred). Compare packaging and PIN to others on the shelf, and if there are no signs of physical tampering, check the balance to make sure it matches what you purchased.

When in doubt, do not provide any information or proceed further. For information about scams and other resources, visit the Office of the Minnesota Attorney General “Scams.” If you become aware of a scam or are a victim of one, you should report it to the authorities, such as the Minnesota Attorney General’s office or the Federal Trade Commission. Finally, if you are unsure as to whether something is a scam, we encourage you to reach out to us for help.

Happy Holidays!

-H&S

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