5 Scams To Watch For After The Holidays

The holiday shopping season may be mostly over, but fraudsters aren’t slowing down. You still need to be diligent in protecting yourself from scams, even after the holidays are over. Here are a few common scams that occur post-holidays.

1. Gift-picking

If you’re the recipient of an expensive gift, you may be targeted by thieves who are looking for a good picking. Protect yourself by keeping your gift under wraps. Dismantle all packaging representing your gift. Discard it in a covered trash or recycling bin instead of leaving it at the curb.

2. Charity scams

Use your head when choosing which charities to donate to this time of year. Don’t donate to any organization without first checking it out on a vetting website like CharityNavigator.com. If you have a favorite cause, contact them yourself instead of clicking on an ad that appears to represent them.

3. Underpriced gifts for sale

Be suspicious of private sellers offering gift items at crazy-low prices. If it sounds ‘too good to be true’, it usually is. If a sale item appears legit, proceed with caution. Don’t rely on email communication. Instead, get the seller’s phone number and street address. If possible, ask for references and pictures of the item. If everything checks out, arrange to meet the seller in a well-lit, populated area. Finally, never wire money online—let the cash and item change hands at the same time.

4. Belated holiday e-cards

Too often, e-cards are ridden with malware. The e-card may bear the name of your friend, but scammers can easily pick names off the internet. As a general rule, you should never open or click on any links in your email that look suspicious. Make sure you hover over any link urls to see where they will actually lead before clicking. If the e-card is a gift with a ‘cash value’ keep in mind that all authentic e-cards will include a confirmation code for you to copy and paste at the issuing website, not a link to click.

5. Post-holiday ‘sales’

Use caution when clicking on ads displayed on your social media feeds. You may see all sorts of ads offering deeply discounted prices at your favorite stores. While some of these ads may be legit, lots are scams. Here’s how to spot the fake ads:

• The URL is off by one letter. Check each landing page as you make a purchase.
• The site is not secure. Look for the “s” after the “http.”
• The words “deals” or “discounts” are part of the URL. Authentic retailers rarely create new websites just to sell sale items.
• Make sure you see the seller’s genuine store logo on every landing page.