Scammers are Celebrating a Merry Christmas

It’s hard to believe the number of swindlers that show up this time of year. I get at least one ad a week for a free gift card or for virus protection that I’ve supposedly signed up for. These are sponsored by fraudsters trying to glob onto the insides of my laptop, or to tease out my credit card information. Here are some of the creative scams thieves are trying to fool you with.

Fake shipments. I get messages all the time on my phone that something couldn’t be delivered. They want me to click on a link or attached file that downloads malware.

Gift cards. Scammers steal a card from a gift rack at stores, open it, replace the card number with their own number, and unobtrusively put it back on the shelf. Then, when the purchaser activates the card, they use their own card to steal the money. Or they don’t replace the number but keep track of when it is activated. Then, using the card number they’ve stolen, they drain the card with purchases.

Great deals online that look like high-end companies. Many of them are fakes. The deals are knockoffs or don’t exist.

Messages that say you’ve been hacked. When you click on the link you are inviting the scammer into your computer.

Fake charities. One advertised through Craig’s List that they were sending free Christmas trees to the needy. All it takes is your contribution to help make it a good Christmas for the fraudsters.

Puppies. These swindlers offer to sell you a cute looking puppy, and all they need is a small payment for shipping costs. Does anyone but children really fall for this? Yes, they do. It’s one of the most common Christmas scams.
Discount travel tickets. For only $100 you can buy a cheap flight to Paris. At least you can see pictures of what you won’t get on your computer.

Christmas cards. Wow, this one surprised me. It’s an eCard. As soon as you click on the link to view the card, malware is downloaded to your computer.

Christmas promotions. All you have to do to get these super-discounted items is download your credit card information.

Entertainment apps for your mobile phone. Need some entertainment for that long drive to your family for the holidays? Download this free app. Apparently, if you put your phone near your wallet it can scan your credit cards.

A.I is here. Fraudsters use images of real celebrities to hawk weight loss supplements and products from the Shark Tank TV show.

These are just a few of the frauds out there. There are hundreds of them and new ones every day.

So how can you avoid being a victim? Maybe it’s not so bad to shop in actual stores. I also never download anything or click on links unless I’m sure of the sender. I don’t even download from Facebook. I always use credit cards rather than debit cards and never wire money or use crypto. It’s easier to get my money back from credit cards. I only purchase major items from reputable companies with real return policies. Okay, maybe I’ve slipped up on that one with Amazon.

Even some legitimate services use questionable tactics. I had a free signup for Best Buy tech support when we bought a dishwasher. A year later it automatically renewed for a lot of money. I couldn’t find any notification of the renewal and it just showed up on my credit card. Thankfully I called and they reversed it. Unfortunately there are a lot of people wanting to get their fingers inside your wallet.

Have you been scammed? I’d like to hear about it. How do you protect yourself from the fraudsters out there?