With the holidays right around the corner, you may find yourself shopping more, spending more, and sharing sensitive financial details when making payments now more than any other time of the year. To help you and your loved ones stay aware and informed, we're sharing common holiday scams you might face and ways you can sleigh them.
Phishing, Vishing, and Smishing
The most prevalent scams, especially during the holidays, involves some sort of phishing. You might receive an email, phone call, or text that appears to be from your financial institution or another trusted entity. This communication may include a link that directs you to a page asking you to verify sensitive information like your username, password, credit card details, account data, or may contain spyware.
Tips:
- Don't click on links or open attachments from unfamiliar parties and verify the authenticity of any links or attachments you receive — ensure you know and trust the sender.
- Before sharing information with anyone, know who you're dealing with. Independently verify the information you're given by conducting your own research. Search online for an entity's name or website and read any online reviews of the business or person.
- Pay close attention to any communication that requests money or pressures you into acting now — it's probably a scam.
- If someone claims to be from Members First Credit Union of Florida, remember:
If someone claims to be from Members First Credit Union of Florida, remember:
- You will never be asked to give your PIN, CVV code, Social Security Number (SSN), or online banking login information on an Automated Call or Fraud Alert from us.
- If you suspect fraud, please hang up and report the incident to us.
Sweetheart or Romance Scams
Romances and friendships start online everyday, however, it's also a common way for scammers to take advantage of unsuspecting victims. When it's time to meet, the person creates an emergency that requires money or gift cards to be sent. Often times, these individuals also claim to be overseas. Be wary, this type of scam can happen any time of the year, not just during the holidays.
Tips:
- Think carefully about what information you share online. Sharing too much could leave you vulnerable to scammers and thieves.
- Be extremely cautious about sending money or sharing personal and financial information online, especially with someone you've never met.
Lottery Scams
Winning prizes is exciting and it's that thrill that can draw us like moths to a flame, eventually getting burned. With these types of scams, you may receive a notification claiming that you've won a prize in a holiday lottery or competition that you don't remember entering. To claim your prize, you may be asked to pay fees for insurance, taxes, or shipping. Sometimes, you might also receive a check that appears to be legitimate but is actually fraudulent.
Tips:
- Be suspicious of claims saying that you won a prize, sweepstakes, or contest that you didn't enter. Scammers will often use names of real organizations running legitimate sweepstakes.
- Be wary of notices that urge or pressure you into acting quickly, request that you pay fees or shipping charges, or begin with "Dear Sir/Ma'am."
- Never share financial or personal information to individuals or companies that you don't know or trust.
Job Scams
Fake job opportunities can be found everywhere — on social media, job boards, or legitimate employer websites, especially during the holidays when people are seeking extra income. You may even be contacted directly by a fraudster who has seen your resume. These scams often promise easy work with high pay and little to no experience required, sometimes asking you to purchase something to get started.
Tips:
- Be wary of jobs that advertise "no experience required" with easy work, excellent pay, and no interview necessary.
- Be cautious about jobs/business ventures that start with you purchasing something from your "employer" to get started.
- Remain suspicious of "employers" that offer to pay you before you start the job.
- Beware of email communication you receive if the address is different from the company offering the job or if they want to talk only via a messaging service.
- Conduct a search of the company online. Check with the Better Business Bureau and look at reviews. If you only find job postings and no other evidence that a legitimate company exists, it's likely a scam.
Fake Charities
Fake charities or causes pop up every day but especially around the holidays or after tragedies like a natural disaster. Scammers count on our good nature for their devious plans, but there are ways to protect yourself and still help those in need.
Tips:
- Validate any charity you choose to donate to. Check the Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance, Charity Navigator®, or CharityWatch.
- Request written information about the charity so that you can do a bit of fact checking.
- Beware of sound-alike charities. Some scams use a name that sounds similar to a well-known charity to try and trick you. Check the name and spelling of a charity and examine the web address to make certain you're on the charity's legitimate website before making a donation.
Panic Scams
Scammers may call or create panic and catch you off guard, with emergencies or urgent situations like overdue utility payments, identity theft, or threats to a loved one. These types of scams aim to create panic during any day of the year, but scammers hope to exploit the stress of the holiday season to make you act quickly and without thought.
Tips:
- Pause, take a deep breath, and look at the communication with a fine-tooth comb. Does something seem off about the call, email, text, or person message?
- Verify authenticity. Don't click on links or provide any information. If you've received a voicemail, don't call the number given on the voicemail or the number listed from the missed call on your phone. Instead, call the company or person the scammer is referencing by dialing a number you know belongs to the legitimate source, for example, dial the number listed on the company's known website.
- Scammers will often request payment in non-traditional forms, like gift cards or wire transfers, making them untraceable and irreversible.
Gift Card Scams
For this type of scam, you might receive a check for any number of reasons and be asked to buy gift cards, providing the card numbers and security information in return. Eventually, the check will bounce, footing you with the bill and any fees that may come along with it.
Tips:
- Do not accept checks from unknown sources.
- Inform your financial institution before you attempt make a deposit. Oftentimes your financial institution will know if a check is fraudulent or they may place a check hold, which could save you some heartache.
Advanced Fee Scams
This common holiday scam asks that you pay a small upfront fee to receive something of greater value, like a loan or gift. However, you often receive little or nothing in return.
Tips:
- Like many scams, requests for payment typcially come in non-traditional forms, making them difficult to trace.
- If a fee is being charged in advance, procede with caution or not at all.
Online Sales Scams
Fraudsters will often post fake online advertisements for items they don't possess. Or, if you're selling something, a scammer may send a check for more than the asking price and request that you return the extra funds. These types of scams become more prevalent during the holiday shopping rush.
Tips:
- Shop only reputatable sites.
- Transactions for Marketplace items should be conducted in person. When doing so, choose a safe, public location. Some police departments even offer Safe Trade locations for secure exchanges.
Unclaimed Property or Undeliverable Package Scams
Another way scammers may try to fool you, especially during the holidays, is by claiming you have unclaimed property from a deceased relative or that you have a package that couldn't be delivered. In the first instance, you may be prompted to open a new account and provide personal information to receive a check, always with an associated fee. For the second instance, you may be prompted to click for further details, to reschedule a time for the packaged to be delivered, etc.
Tips:
- Investigate the claim by doing a search of the business online.
- Contact the company using their official number to verfiy the claim's legitimacy.
Potential Account Fraud
A caller may claim to be from your financial institution, stating they've detected suspicious activity on your account. They may even have some of your information to seem legitimate and will ask for any other details they need to commit fraud.
Tips:
- Never provide information to someone on a call that you did not initiate.
- If there is any doubt, hang up and call your financial institution using their official number. Never redial the number that called you, even if the number appears legitimate.
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