The holiday season is upon us. While that means get-togethers, gift-exchanges, and a send-off to 2021, it also means holiday-specific scams.
Scammers are likely to know that people are shopping like crazy right now. As the time to Christmas shrinks exponentially, don’t be surprised to see an uptick in phishing emails or texts.
Any unsolicited messages (not from official sources) that promise gift shipped in time, a wide selection of awesome inventory, etc. are to be treated with caution and skepticism. If you can’t verify the sender, you’re better off just shopping directly from websites themselves.
In addition, look out for the typical phishing emails looking to steal your information. With holiday shopping comes financial details, such as credit card numbers, billing addresses, banking accounts, and more. Never give anyone information like this, unless you know for a fact it is a trustworthy source (such as your bank).
Never, ever buy gift cards from or for a strange online. Just as important, however, is to not buy gift cards as a form of payment for any odd offer. Gift card scams are rife on the internet, and scammers will want to grab a gift card’s information from you so they can wipe the entire balance.
