Avoiding Holiday Scams

The season for giving is also the season for getting scammed as thieves can prey on a giving heart.

Consumer protection specialist Emily Nichols works in the Attorney General’s Office. She says you need to make sure you are being extra careful.

“We want people to be aware that holiday and charity scams go hand in hand. So watch out for these people who call you and claim that a huge portion or large portion will go to a charity where, in fact, it doesn’t,” said Nichols.

Nichols says they see this type of thing all the time.
One scam to be extra careful about is gift cards.

“The scammer will go to the store and they will scratch off the coding on the back of the gift card and expose the code on the back of the card, and make note of it, and write it down. They will wait until they think it is purchased and activated, and then use the card for themselves. And it is useless for you, the person who bought it,” said Nichols.

Nichols says the best way to make sure you aren’t getting a scammed card is look to see if the code on the back of the card is still covered.
And of course, packages left on a front porch are always an easy target.
Nichols advises you to make specific arrangements for your package to be delivered to an a safer location or invest in cameras.

“Make use of these convenience features to make sure we can safe guard our packages and make sure we actually get what we are ordering.”

Also, when you are shopping online, Nichols says to shop at established websites from brands you trust. If a deal sounds too good to be true, it’s generally not a trustworthy site.