The holidays are here, and unfortunately the scammers are out in full force. Here are 4 common holiday scams to watch out for, but remember, always verify! Never trust any call, email, text, or inquiry without investigating further.
- e-Gift Card Scams: These take different forms, but e-gift card offers are almost always scams. Don’t click on any links or provide any personal information to redeem a gift card. Always ask yourself “is this too good to be true?” Normally, if you have to ask, it’s too good to be ture.
- Charitable Scams: Scammers often pretend to be legitimate charities to get your money, and the charity scammers can be hard to spot. They may even mimic charities they think you’ll want to support or have previously supported. Ignore any unsolicited emails, texts, or phone calls, and go the actual charity website directly if you want to donate.
- Subscription Renewal Scams: Everyone has so many subscriptions these days, and many are renewed or managed online. Go to your account directly to renew rather than answering an email, call or text. Better yet, see if you no longer need that subscription, and cancel it to save money if you aren’t using it.
- Crypto Scams: After the FTX debacle, everyone should be suspicious of any offer regarding crypto. If you own crypto, be very wary of scammers trying to steal it. Also, don’t buy crypto without doing a lot of independent research, and even then, be sure to keep your crypto investments to an amount of money you can afford to lose. Because you just may lose it.
Stay safe this holiday season!