CHARLESTON, WV (LOOTPRESS) – ‘Tis the season for holiday shopping. It is also the season of criminals ramping up efforts to steal your money and personal information.
FBI Pittsburgh’s Charleston, WV Resident Agency is reminding the public to remain vigilant against fraudsters who want to spoil your holiday season. Scammers can rob you of hard-earned money, personal information, and, at the very least, a festive mood.
Here are some prevalent scams the public should watch out for this time of year:
• Non-Delivery Scams – A buyer pays for goods or services they find online, but those items are never received.
• Non-Payment Scams – Goods or services are shipped, but the seller is never paid.
• Auction Fraud – Involves a seller deliberately misrepresenting the condition or quality of an item on an auction website.
• Gift Card Fraud – Scammers can steal numbers and security codes from gift cards in stores and wait for them to be activated, or consumers can be asked to pay for goods or services with a pre-paid card.
In addition to these scams, the public is reminded to always be on the lookout for phishing, smishing, vishing, spoofing, and pharming while shopping for gifts online this holiday season.
Regarding these scams, according to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) data from 2023, West Virginians lost nearly $1 million in Non-Payment/Non-Delivery schemes.
How to stay safe and spot scams this holiday season
Here are some tips to help you look out for scammers while holiday shopping:
• Before shopping online, secure all financial accounts with strong passwords or passphrases. The FBI recommends using different passwords for each financial account.
• As usual, if a deal looks too good to be true, it probably is.
• Buy directly from a secure and reputable website; steer clear of unfamiliar sites offering unrealistic discounts on brand-name merchandise.
• Verify the legitimacy of buyers or sellers before making a purchase. If you’re using an online marketplace or auction website, check feedback ratings.
• Avoid sellers and websites that demand payment solely through gift cards. Scammers also sometimes encourage shoppers to conduct wire transfers, allowing criminals to quickly receive illicit funds. Credit cards provide several layers of security against fraud and are typically the safest way to conduct online shopping.
• Check bank and credit card statements routinely, including after making online purchases and in the weeks following the holidays.
• Never give personal information like your date of birth or Social Security number to anyone you don’t know.
• Always get a tracking number for items purchased online so you can make sure the shipment has occurred and you can follow the process.
If you do become the victim of a scam, contact your bank immediately. You should also inform your local law enforcement agency and file a complaint with the FBI’s IC3 at ic3.gov. Time is often an important factor when making a report. The sooner you can report being a scam victim, the sooner resources can be mustered to help you recoup some of the losses.
Links to more information
IC3 Annual Report: https://www.ic3.gov/AnnualReport/Reports/2023_IC3Report.pdf
FBI Scams and Safety: https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/scams-and-safety
FBI Holiday Scams: https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/scams-and-safety/common-frauds-and-scams/holiday-scams
