Your merry spirit, coupled with an uptick in purchasing and festive phishing emails, could increase your risk of being scammed during the holidays.<\/p>\n
Con artists are getting craftier, using high-tech tricks to get your financial data, and it\u2019s nothing to ho-ho-ho about.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe holidays are used as a hook for the same scams we see the rest of the year,\u201d says Katherine Hutt, national spokesperson for the Better Business Bureau. \u201cSince people are doing more shopping at this time of year, scammers are out in full force to take advantage of that.\u201d<\/p>\n
To keep scammers from ruining your holidays, watch out for these five holiday schemes:<\/p>\n
Phony Websites Promising Great Gift Deals<\/strong><\/p>\n In this con, scammers send emails luring you to bogus sites by touting what look like huge bargains on the season\u2019s hottest gifts. The sites look just like ones of popular big box retailers, but fail to deliver the promised presents. Instead, the credit card data you enter at their fake checkouts give the fraudsters just the information they nees to go on their own holiday shopping sprees.<\/p>\n \u201cEmails promising too-good-to-be-true deals on popular gifts should raise red flags,\u201d notes Robert Siciliano, online security expert for McAfee and author of 99 Things You Wish You Knew\u2026Before Your Identity Was Stolen.<\/p>\n For a tipoff that a retailer\u2019s site may be fake, hover your mouse over the link to the see the URL. If it\u2019s not a recognizable web address, steer clear. And before purchasing a gift through an unknown retailer or site, Siciliano recommends, Google the business name and URL to check for complaints.<\/p>\n Also, remember to check your online-account statements regularly to monitor for fraudulent charges. If you spot any suspicious activity, report it to your bank or card issuer immediately.<\/p>\n Santa Letter Schemes<\/strong><\/p>\n Give pause before you sign up to let Claus send a letter to your grandkids. Websites promising personalized letters from the North Pole can be clever holiday-themed frauds in disguise.<\/p>\n \u201cThose emails are probably coming from a scammer, not an elf,\u201d warns Hutt.<\/p>\n Like those gift site cons, these websites demand that you provide your credit card information in exchange for Santa sending a letter to a special recipient. Then, the scammers end up on the naughty list for stealing your identity and charging up your credit card.<\/p>\n There are, of course, legitimate businesses sending letters from Santa, such as SantaClausHouse.com and PackageFromSanta.com, which charge $15 to $90 for a personalized letter and goodies from the \u201cNorth Pole.\u201d<\/p>\n Instead of clicking on a Santa letter link you receive via email or one you see on a social media sites, first research these services and go straight to their sites from your browser.<\/p>\n Fraudulent Gift Cards<\/strong><\/p>\n Gift cards are the most popular item on holiday wish lists, according to a National Retail Federation survey; $274 billion worth of cards are expected to be sold this year. That\u2019s exactly why the cards are a top target for con artists.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s how this scam goes down: First, crooks take gift cards from rotating racks and cash register displays and write down the cards\u2019 codes. Next, they check online to see that the cards have been activated by unsuspecting gift recipients. Then, the scammers use those codes to shop online, depleting the balance.<\/p>\n Before purchasing a gift card, Liz Weston, author of The 10 Commandments of Money, suggests checking to see if the security code on the back has been scratched off \u2014 a dead giveaway it\u2019s been targeted for fraud.<\/p>\n To minimize the risk of fraud, avoid cards stocked on rotating racks in big box stores where scammers can access them. Weston also suggests keeping your receipt as proof of purchase and activation in case there is a problem.<\/p>\n Fake Data Breaches<\/strong><\/p>\n With more than 679 data breaches reported so far in 2014, including ones at popular retailers like Home Depot and Target, consumers are on high alert \u2014 and scammers know it.<\/p>\n So if a retailer calls you to report a data breach and requests information, such as an account number and security code, to get things sorted out, hang up. It\u2019s not really the store and there was no hack. \u201cThe premise is plausible enough to draw people in,\u201d Weston admits.<\/p>\n When a legitimate data breach occurs, retailers send letters to customers and their websites and social media accounts tell you what to take.<\/p>\n If a caller claims to be working with a retailer, here\u2019s what you should do: Phone the 800-number on the back of the store credit card or on the retailer\u2019s site and ask to speak with the fraud department. The customer service rep might ask for your account number, address and phone number but, as Weston notes, \u201cSince you initiated the call, it\u2019s safe to give them the information to verify your account details.\u201d<\/p>\n Card-Skimming Scams<\/strong><\/p>\n You use ATMs and swipe credit and debit cards at retail terminals more often during the holidays, giving thieves plenty of opportunities to steal your financial data this way. Scammers install skimming devices at ATMs or put faceplates over payment terminals that read the card\u2019s magnetic strip, providing access to your accounts and the ability to do their holiday shopping with them.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re shopping feverishly, distracted and less cautious about your transactions,\u201d Siciliano says. \u201cIt makes you vulnerable.\u201d<\/p>\n To keep your data safe, keep your debit and credit cards in sight during transactions and cover the keypad when you enter your PIN at the ATM or retail terminal. \u201cIf a thief can\u2019t see the PIN, he can\u2019t use it,\u201d says Siciliano.<\/p>\n Tis the Season to Be Scammed Your merry spirit, coupled with an uptick in purchasing and festive phishing emails, could increase your risk of being scammed during the holidays. Con artists are getting craftier, using high-tech tricks to get your financial data, and it\u2019s nothing to ho-ho-ho about. \u201cThe holidays are used as a hook for the same\u2026 Read More »<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1433,1670,1656,1674,10],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8748"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8748"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8748\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8750,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8748\/revisions\/8750"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8748"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8748"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8748"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Source: NextAvenue.com<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"