FBI warns Online Shoppers of Holiday Scam Trends

The FBI is warning online shoppers of scam trends this holiday season and reminds the public to stay vigilant when purchasing items online. The FBI anticipates increased fraud schemes designed to steal consumers’ money and personal information this year. Criminals are increasingly creative in their efforts during the holiday season and will aggressively try various ways to prey on unsuspecting shoppers.  The two most prevalent holiday scams are non-delivery and non-payment crimes. A non-delivery scam is where a buyer pays for goods or services they find online, but those items are never received. Conversely, a non-payment scam involves goods or services that are shipped or provided, but the seller never receives payment.  According to the FBI’s 2021 Internet Crime Report, the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) received a combined 108,869 complaints of non-delivery/non-payment crimes in 2021, totaling over $337 million in losses to victims. Credit card fraud accounted for another $173 million in losses. So far this year, IC3 has already received over 44,220 complaints across the U.S. with losses of more than $276 million from January 2022 to October 2022.  Other scams to be mindful of this holiday season are online shopping scams where scammers offer deals through phishing emails or advertisements, social media scams where scammers use social media sites to offer holiday promotions, vouchers, or gift cards by completing surveys designed to compromise your personal information, gift card scams where victims receive a spoofed email, call, or text asking them to purchase multiple gift cards for personal or business reasons, charity scams where criminals set up fake charities and profit from persons who believe they are donating to a legitimate organization, and Smartphone app scams where scammers design mobile apps designed as free games that steal your personal information.  Before shopping online, secure all financial accounts with strong passwords. Use different passwords for each financial account.  Don’t click suspicious links or attachments in emails, websites, or social media. Especially those asking for a password or financial data. This also may result in unknowingly downloading malware to your device.  If a company asks you to update your password or account information, contact the company on your own using information from their official website.  Be wary of online retailers offering goods at significantly discounted prices. If a deal seems too good to be true, it likely is.  Beware of purchases or services that require payment with a gift card.  Use a credit card vs. a debit card to make purchases and check credit card statements routinely.  Make charitable contributions directly rather than through an intermediary and beware of organizations with copycat names similar to reputable charities.  Always get tracking numbers for items you buy online, so you can make sure you can follow the delivery process. Track your order through your original confirmation email.  Contact your financial institution immediately upon suspecting or discovering a fraudulent transfer.  If you believe you have been the victim of a scam, report it to the FBI at www.IC3.gov.