Watch Out for These Holiday Scams

You might not associate the holidays with scams, but it is prime season for certain bad actors. Unfortunately, there are numerous potential targets this time of year, as scammers see gifts being bought and exchanged in record volume. To keep yourself safe, be on the lookout for the following scams between roughly Thanksgiving and New Year’s.

Delivery Scams

This holiday season, shoppers like yourself will likely make a lot of online purchases. All those orders, of course, end up at your doorstep—unless scammers intercept the process. 

Obviously, there are porch pirates: thieves who scan front stoops and snatch unattended packages. But these aren’t “scammers” so much as opportunists. Investing in a smart security doorbell can help you keep tabs on the packages left when you aren’t home, but you’ll also want to make sure you’re keeping an eye out for phishing attempts in the digital world. 

You’ve probably seen these scam attempts before: You receive a message, often as a text, that says a shipping company like UPS failed to make a delivery, and your package could not be dropped off. Conveniently, the message includes a URL to follow for next-steps to retrieve your package. 

Do not open this link. Like other phishing scams, this URL on this message likely leads to a site that attempts to trick you into providing sensitive information, especially financial details. Or, the link leads to a scheme to trick you into installing malware onto your device. Either way, it’s bad news. If you’re expecting a package, check through the company directly for status updates. It’s the safest method. 

Gift Card Scams

Gift cards are a great gift when someone in your life likes to buy their own things, but you have a general idea of their interests. They’re also extremely popular, and a prime target for scammers. 

As with package scams, gift card scams often occur through messaging: You may receive an email from someone claiming to be your “boss,” requesting that you purchase a large number of gift cards for work. Or, perhaps your “family member” is asking you to buy a bunch of gift cards as a present for another family member, and wants you to share them via email.  

That might sound obvious, but the scam is high reward: gift cards are instant cash for bad actors, with little means to track them down once that money is spent. All it takes is one victim to make the purchase and send it over, and scammers have their payday. 

If you do buy gift cards this holiday season, make sure to always get a receipt: if the card has been tampered with or used already, you need the receipt as proof to help you get your money back.