Have a Scam-Free Christmas

It might be months until Christmas, but many stores are already celebrating the holiday with festive displays. They’re not the only ones with the holiday season in their sights. According to a source from the Phoenix Better Business Bureau, Felicia Thompson, scammers are already creating plans to scam consumers this holiday season.

The Phoenix BBB has created a list of the most common scams this season, the “12 Scams of Christmas.”

Travel scams top the list. A scammer, acting as an unknown sender, will send email offers that are usually too good to be true. But there is a way to spot these scams.

“Take the information you received and call the actual hotel, call the actual airlines and get verification,” says Thompson.

Fake charities are also ways crooks might target you this Christmas. Before giving to unknown charities, look the charity up on www.give.org.

It’s important to be on the lookout for people asking for odd forms of payment, such as money wiring or iTunes gift cards.

“So, things you normally would not engage in like a wire transfer. So, if you’re asked to transfer money, that’s a red flag.”

When shopping online, make sure you’re on the correct website because some scammers will create fake websites to steal your information. If someone offers you free gift cards, don’t take them.

Some scammers will even use letters from Santa Clause to steal your personal information.

These precautions will help you avoid being scammed, but always check your financial statements. This will give you the opportunity to resolve problems while you have time to do so.

Thompson says, “Check your financial statements, making sure you’re comfortable and you recognize all of the debts that are coming from your credit cards, debit cards things like that, making sure they are from you and not someone else.