During the holiday season, you’re likely to be busier than usual. Scammers use this to their advantage to prey on victims when they’re most distracted with their holiday to-do lists. You can be steps ahead of scammers when you are mindful of these scams:
1. Online shopping scams
In this scam, a shopper visits a bogus site after clicking on a link in an email, text, or on social media. The site appears to be a popular retailer, so the shopper purchases an item that does not exist. The item never comes, and the funds are gone.
Protect yourself: Only shop reputable websites. Ensure you are on a secure site by checking for a lock icon or a site address that starts with https for each page you visit. Check for correct spelling and any out of place characters. Learn more about fake websites. The team at MSGCU also recommends considering the use of a credit card instead of a debit card when making online purchases. While both cards are safe to use, a credit card isn't linked to day-to-day funds in your checking account, which can make it less of a hassle should your card be compromised.
2. Charity scams
Here, scammers set up a fake charity and target do-gooders in the holiday spirit for donations. Unfortunately, the charity is completely bogus, and the money will go right into the hands of scammers.
Protect yourself: If you want to donate, seek out a charity yourself instead of following a link or ad. Use a charity checker to verify the legitimacy of a charity.
3. Gift card scams
A fraudster convinces victims to purchase and share their gift card codes by pretending to be tech support or another believable contact.
Protect yourself: Never share personal or account information with an unknown or unverified contact; instead, hang up and call the company directly via the phone number on their website (not from your caller ID). A legitimate person or company will not ask for payment in gift cards. Learn about more red flags.
4. Travel scams
Fake travel agencies will offer vacation package trips at incredibly low prices. Then, they disappear once the victim has paid.
Protect yourself: Research any travel agency you’re using and be wary of sites and ads containing poor grammar and/or many spelling mistakes. If the deal is unbelievably low, it’s likely a scam.
5. Romance scams
In this scam, a love interest will build a relationship with an unsuspecting target, and then ask the victim for funds.
Protect yourself: Be wary of quick-building relationships. Review the social profiles of a new love interest. If they reach out to you all of a sudden, just created the account and have zero posts, they could be a scammer. Also, never send money to an unverified contact or someone you met online. Read more about romance scams.
Overall, if it seems too good to be true, it’s probably a scam. Keep these scams in mind to ensure your identity and finances stay safe. Learn other ways you can protect yourself online, including:
- Never give your online banking credentials or ATM PIN to anyone, even trusted friends or family members.
- Remember MSGCU will never ask for your online banking password, PIN, or online/mobile banking verification code.
- Update your password to Online or Mobile Banking if you believe your account has been compromised.
- Contact MSGCU immediately if you think you’ve been a victim of a scam.
Category: Security
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