Holiday shopping, like most shopping these days, has moved online, and that poses unique risks. During last year’s holiday shopping season, an AARP survey revealed that more than 75% of U.S. consumers reported that they experienced some kind of fraud, and a similar share of consumers failed a nine-question safe shopping quiz. The AARP holiday scams survey also identified three specific threat areas.
| Online Shopping Scams – Making a purchase through an online ad may lead to fraud. |
| •Fraud criminals set up professional-looking websites offering popular items at a deep discount. When consumers purchase these supposed deals, they find out that either nothing arrives or the product they receive is not what was advertised.•Be suspicious of any online offer that offers a deep discount over what other retailers offer. Do your online shopping with trusted retailers. |
•
Criminals manipulate cards on store racks or use electronic means to scan for activated gift cards online and drain the value off the cards.
•
Consider purchasing gift cards directly from the retailer online and register it if that’s an option. Use the card sooner than later to improve odds that you’ll get to spend the balance before a criminal can.
| Package Scams – Fake notifications abound from the likes of UPS and FedEx about an alleged shipment issue. |
| •Criminals send out droves of texts, claiming a delivery is on hold because of an issue with your address, insufficient postage, nobody was home to receive it or some other “problem.” You’re asked to click a link or call a given number to address the alleged issue.•Avoid clicking on links from texts; rather, type the web address into your browser directly, use your app if that’s an option or contact the shipping company using a verified phone number (for example, look up the number at UPS.com vs. “googling” it; you may come across a listing that a criminal paid for). |