MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Maybe you thought it was just as simple as keeping your house well lit while you’re out-of-town or hiding packages in the trunk, but that’s not enough. Consumers will have to work harder to protect their cash and their identity as crooks are on the hunt this holiday season.
Mid-South Better Business Bureau President Randy Hutchinson talked with the On Your Side Investigators about the top scams to watch out for this holiday season.
“They’re counting on the spirit of the holidays and us being more trusting even more so from the rest of the year to separate us from our cash,” Hutchinson said.
So don’t let your guard down.
Phishing scams
Hutchinson told WREG, “A common one we see this time of year is people may get an email that’s purportedly from FedEx or UPS that says we tried to deliver a package you weren’t home, click here.”
Clicking on that link could lead to downloading malware, possibly providing a way for thieves to steal your identity.
Phishing may also come in the form of e-cards, so be careful with those, too.
Phony websites
Talk about stealing holiday spirit: Hutchinson told the On Your Side Investigators about one scam that’s really a low blow.
“There are even reports of these websites that you can arrange to have a card sent to your child from Santa, and some of those are legit, but some are not,” he said.
Another one to watch out for is phony websites supposedly selling hot toys.
Hutchinson said, “You might see Craigslist ads that say you can’t buy it in the store but we’ve got it here, the hottest toy.”
Of course you could end up getting nothing in return, or at the least, paying way more than the item is worth.
Work from home offers
We’ve all heard of the mystery shopper scam. There are others out there too.
“There are package processing jobs that supposedly from home, you can receive merchandise and forward it to people and those end up being scams,” Hutchinson said.
Others scams to consider around the holidays are those associated with fake charities and home improvement such as furnace cleaning and chimney sweeping.
