The holiday season is nearly upon us, but at this time of the year, many people find themselves victims of scams or identity theft. Keep reading as we share eight top scams to look out for as we enter the holidays this year. By avoiding these scams, you’ll protect your debit and credit ratios, which can take up to a year to restore.
1. Gift Cards
Gift cards are an excellent option for your family and friends this holiday season. However, you’ll find there are many scams when it comes to both physical and digital gift cards. Make sure you always purchase gift cards directly from the company. Also, don’t be tempted by emails asking you to buy gift cards for someone, as these are some of the most common scams during the holidays.
2. Donating to Fake Charities
The number of fake charities which appear at this time of year is unbelievable. We support donating to charities during the holidays but ensure you know exactly where your donation is going. Be very wary of phone calls and emails asking for donations. Check out the website properly to ensure it is authentic before giving anyone your credit card number.
3. Online Gift Exchanges
It can be fun for those of us with smaller families or fewer friends to participate in online gift exchanges. The issue with many of these is that they ask you to donate more items than you’ll ever receive back. Be very careful about giving your personal information to anyone you don’t know online, as you never know what someone will do with this data.
4. package delivery texts and emails
Online shopping is something that most of us rely on throughout the year. Unfortunately, around the holidays, there are more scams regarding deliveries. If you receive a strange text or email asking for your payment information to secure delivery, follow this up directly with the delivery company before agreeing to anything.
5. Holiday Jobs
The holidays are a great time to boost your savings and take on a temporary second job. When applying for holiday jobs, ensure you don’t get trapped in a scam. Ensure you aren’t working for free for anyone and request a contract to start and end your employment.
6. Package Theft
As well as the scams we shared above regarding packages; you’ll find that theft is up around the holidays. So if you are going to be out for the day, find a safe place to store packages so no one can see them.
7. Cybercriminals
When using wi-fi connections outside your house, be very wary about shopping online at this time of the year. Cybercriminals are out in full force during the holidays, and you are much more likely to be the victim of an attack.
8. Fake Apps
We all use apps daily, but the number of fake apps is alarming. Make sure you only download apps with reviews and a full description and only use apps on trusted app stores.