As you prepare for the holiday season, remember that cybercriminals are ramping up for their own festivities. Scammers use the uptick in online shopping, feelings of generosity and increased financial worries during this time to their advantage.
But there are many ways you can protect yourself. Here are some common holiday scams and tips to avoid them:
Fake Deals and Social Media Ads
If you receive a sales offer or see a product advertised on social media that seems too good to be true, it probably is. Take your time before clicking links, which could send you to a fake website or download harmful software onto your device. Look out for red flags such as an unusual sense of urgency, awkward wording and misspellings. To verify an offer, go directly to the company’s website to determine whether it is legitimate or not.
Gift Card Scams
Many holiday scams involve buying and selling fake gift cards or tricking you into paying someone with a gift card. If you receive an urgent call or email asking for payment via gift card, assume it is a scam. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), real businesses and government agencies will never request gift cards as payment. If you purchase gift cards in a store, carefully examine the PIN to ensure it hasn’t been altered, and get a receipt so you can verify the purchase in case the card is lost or stolen.
Charity Scams
Hackers often take advantage of people’s goodwill by creating fake charities, such as GoFundMe campaigns. Before donating money or sharing any information, do your research — double-check that the URL and charity details are legitimate.
Seasonal Job Scams
Be suspicious of seasonal job ads. Warning signs that a job is probably a scam include high pay for little work, an offer on the spot without an interview, and requests for money or personal information.
General Best Practices
- To stay safe online, keep these three steps in mind during the holidays and throughout the year:
- Be suspicious.
- Take your time.
- Ask for help.
- Create a strong, unique password or passphrase for each online account, including those for banking and shopping.
- Set up multifactor authentication for all accounts.
- When shopping online, consider using a virtual credit card number or third-party payment service such as Amazon Pay, PayPal, Google Pay or Apple Pay to avoid entering your credit card information directly.
- Avoid shopping on public Wi-Fi. If you need to make purchases on the go, connect to a virtual private network or use your phone as a hotspot.
If you do encounter a holiday scam, you can file a complaint with the FTC and the North Carolina Attorney General’s Office.
For questions regarding potential scams, contact the NC State Help Desk via the NC State IT Service Portal or call 919.515.HELP (4357).
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