Don't let holiday scams take you for a sleigh ride
from the Better Business Bureau
Lookingbrforward to the holidays? So are the scammers. As many begin to make theirbrholiday gift list and charity donations, unscrupulous scammers are gearing upbrto deck the halls with their tried and true holiday scams. Better BusinessbrBureau is warning holiday shoppers and donors to know the red flags and to bebron their guard for this season’s holiday scams.
Everybryear, thousands of shoppers fall victim to the holiday deals that seem too goodbrto be true, and the bogus charity pleas that pull at the heart strings. Thisbrholiday season, BBB urges consumers to take the following tips intobrconsideration before doing their holiday shopping and making charity donations:
Always check a business's BBB Business Review, at www.bbb.org, before making a purchase inbrthe store or online. Make sure that the company has a physical address andbrtelephone number. When shopping online, some websites offer electronics or luxurybrgoods at prices that are too good to be true. Every holiday season, BBB hearsbrfrom holiday shoppers who paid for a "great deal" online, butbrreceived little or nothing in return.
If you shop Craigslist or other free bulletin board sites, look for localbrsellers and conduct transactions in person. Bring a friend ifbryou're uncomfortable meeting the seller alone. Never wire money as payment. Ifbryou're shopping on auctions like EBay, look at seller ratings and read theirbrreviews. Don't buy if the deal sounds too good to be true.
Don't let yourself get bogged down in purchases or lose track of yourbrwallet. While you're struggling with bags of presents, identity thieves may seebran opportunity to steal your wallet or look over your shoulder to copy yourbrdebit or credit card numbers. Know where your credit and debit cards are at allbrtimes and cover the keypad when entering your PIN while purchasing items orbrgetting money from an ATM. Make sure you put your card back in your walletbrafter each purchase.
Always research charities with BBB before you give to see if the charitybrmeets BBB's 20 Standards forbrCharity Accountability. The holidays are a time of giving, andbrthat creates an opportunity for scammers to solicit donations to line their ownbrpockets. Beware of solicitations from charities that don't necessarily deliverbron their promises or are ill-equipped to carry through on their plans. Resistbrdemands for on-the-spot donations. Up-to-date reports on local and nationalbrcharities are available at Give.
Don't click on any links or open any attachments to emails until youbrhave confirmed that they are not malicious. Phishing emailsbrare a common way for hackers to get at your personal information or break intobryour computer. Around the holidays, beware of e-cards and messages pretendingbrto be from companies like UPS or FedEx with links to package trackingbrinformation. Email addresses that don't match up, typos and grammaticalbrmistakes are common red flags of a malicious phishing email. Also beware ofbrunsolicited emails from companies with which you have no association. Make surebryou have current antivirus software and that all security patches have been installedbron the computer.
Forbrmore holiday tips that you can trust, visit the Better Business Bureau for a full list of tips in English and Spanish.