4 Tips for a Safe Holiday Shopping Season

• Don’t click any suspicious links or attachments in texts, emails, on websites or on social media. Ads on social media sites, as well as phishing scams and similar schemes, try to get you to click on links and give up personal information like your name, password, answers to security questions, and bank account number. In some cases, you may unknowingly download malware to your device.
• Be especially wary if a company asks you to update your password or account information. Look up the company’s phone number on your own and call the company to confirm.
• Hang up on anyone who wants you to change your security settings, access your computer, or tells you not to talk to your bank.

• Check each website’s URL to make sure it’s legitimate and secure. A site you’re buying from should have https in the web address. If it doesn’t, don’t enter your information on that site.
• If you’re purchasing from a company for the first time, do your research and check reviews.
• Verify the legitimacy of a buyer or seller before moving forward with a transaction. If you’re using an online marketplace or auction website, check their feedback rating. Be wary of buyers and sellers with mostly unfavorable feedback ratings or no ratings at all. It’s always best to purchase from the seller’s legitimate website.
• Avoid sellers who act as authorized dealers or factory representatives of popular items in countries where there would be no such deals.
• Be wary of sellers who post an auction or advertisement as if they reside in the U.S., then respond to questions by stating they are out of the country on business, family emergency or similar reasons.
• Avoid buyers who request their purchase be shipped using a certain method to avoid customs or taxes inside another country.
• Be wary of charity scams. It’s the season of giving, but a major red flag occurs when the charity asks for contributions through cash, gift cards, cryptocurrency or wire transfers. That’s not how legitimate charities usually operate.

• Be extremely cautious before wiring money directly to a seller. The same goes for the faster person-to-person payment channels.
• Be leery of requests to pay in strange methods, like cryptocurrency.
• Also be leery of requests to pay with prepaid gift cards. In the gift card scam, a seller will ask you to send them a gift card number and PIN. Instead of using that gift card for your payment, the scammer will steal the funds, and you’ll never receive your item.
• Use a credit card when shopping online and check your statement regularly. If you see a suspicious transaction, contact your credit card company to dispute the charge.

• Always get tracking numbers for items you buy online, so you can make sure they have been shipped and can follow the delivery process.
• If you get an urgent text message or an email about a delivery you weren’t expecting, do not click on the link. If you believe the delivery might be legitimate, contact the service or the seller through a verified phone number or website.
• When selling items online, be suspicious of any credit card purchases where the address of the cardholder does not match the shipping address. Always receive the cardholder’s authorization before shipping any products.

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• 5 Warning Signs of Package Delivery Scams
• Combating Phishing Scams
• Imposter Text Scams: 6 Tips to Fight Back
• Account Takeover: 5 Early Warning Signs