It’s that time of year, scammers and crooks are trying to figure out how to steal your money!  Of course, that means holiday scams.

Whether you’re shopping online for gifts, donating to charities, or using your debit card in stores, there are plenty of opportunities for scammers and criminals to rip you off this time of year.

The FBI points out, the surge in people shopping online due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic means scammers will have access to more potential victims than ever. Fortunately, you can take a few relatively easy steps to help keep yourself and your wallet safe while shopping both online or in person.

Pay with your smartphone or credit card
It’s a mistake to pay for goods with your debit card, either online or in stores. That’s because your debit card is connected to your checking account. And if a scammer is able to copy your card number, or access it online, they can drain all of your cash with ease. Your bank may give your money back, but, it will take time and you’ll be broke for at least a day or two.

Your credit card is more secure, because, even though it can also be copied, a thief or scammer that uses it isn’t actually taking your money, but the credit card company’s. In that case, the card provider will work with you to resolve the issue, while still leaving your money in your checking account where it belongs.

You can add an additional wall of security by using your smartphone’s contactless payment option in tandem with your credit card, whether that’s Google Pay, Apple Pay, or Samsung Pay. Such services use a unique identifier number when you tap to pay that makes it incredibly difficult to skim your card.

Avoid buying directly through social media sites or emails
Chances are you’ll see plenty of outrageously good deals on everything from TVs to new cars being advertised across social media and your email inbox. But before you click that link, take a deep breath, because you could be setting yourself up to be ripped off.

You know that Nigerian Prince that wants to send you money?  Email scams are nothing new, crooks and scammers have been using them for years to flim flam and swindle people out of their hard-earned cash. They’ve become far more sophisticated. Better spelling and grammar and realistic corporate logos make email scams more difficult to detect than they used to be.

But wait, there’s more, clicking a link in a scammer’s email could lead you to unknowingly download malware that could steal your information or even lock down your computer for ransom.

Social media scams, meanwhile, can totally rip you off of your money by promising to ship you goods, and never delivering.

The best way to avoid falling victim to these types of schemes is to visit a retailer’s actual website. It’s an additional step, but it could mean the difference between losing your Christmas money and getting the gift you wanted to give or give yourself.

Watch for delivery scams
With so many people ordering gifts online this year, delivery scams are sure to take off like never before. These types of fraud typically include criminals sending out emails or texts to people claiming they missed a package delivery or that their goods are on the way, but the carrier needs more information. DON’T CLICK THE LINK!

The crooks will fire off emails claiming to be from any number of shipping companies and in some cases e-commerce giants like Amazon hoping that you did order something and are waiting for it to come in. Then, when you see that message telling you your order has been delayed, the criminals hope you’ll click on the included link. And that’s where they get you.

That link will either install malware on your computer, or take you to a website that asks you to enter your personal information, which the scammers will, naturally, steal.

To avoid this, your best bet is to visit the website from which you ordered your item and check your delivery status. You can also mouse over the link in the message to determine if it actually points you to the website it promises, though even that can be risky, since criminal organizations can set up fake websites that are just slightly misspelled, hoping you’ll overlook the error.

You can also use the tracking number that you received when you first put in your order and type it into Google, which will provide you with the tracking page and information.

If it’s too good to be true…it’s 99-100% a SCAM!