Trending Holiday Scams

Whether you're shopping online, buying gift cards, or visiting family this holiday season, there's a scam for that. Be aware of the following trending scams and keep your finances secure this holiday season.

• Charity scams: Bogus charities exploit seasonal goodwill via fake websites, door-to-door solicitations and telemarketing. Pushy charity telemarketers could be an indicator that they are imposters. Legitimate charities will accept your donations on your timeline. Be sure to do your research before you donate.
• Credit card decline scams: It’s always a great idea to pay for gifts by credit card because you can dispute charges and limit the damage if the transaction was fraudulent. However, this new scam declines your credit card then asks for a second card. You’ll be charged for purchase on both cards. If your purchase declines initially — and you believe it should not — don’t provide a second card, contact the card issuer of the initial card instead.
• Delivery scams: During the gift-giving season, people are buying online and sending gifts. Beware of phishing emails from fraudsters posing as UPS, FedEx, U.S. Postal Service (USPS), or U.S. Customs and Border Protection. They also send messages (SMS/MMS), so be wary of content on your phone as well.
• Gift card scams: Criminals steal the numbers off gift cards from a rack in a busy grocery store or big box retailer. Once you load money onto the card, it gets siphoned off. Buy gifts cards online, instead of from a retail rack, where the cards can be tampered with. When receiving a gift card as a present, register it if that’s an option, and use it sooner rather than later.
• Porch pirates: With holiday shopping and shipping comes package theft. In 2023, an estimated 3 in 4 Americans experienced package poaching. To outsmart porch pirates, retrieve a package as soon as it arrives. Have the sender require a signature, if possible. Also consider picking up your package somewhere else, such as shipping to your nearest store or your workplace.
• Travel scams: Criminals may use emails, texts or spoofed websites offering travel deals, such as free or heavily discounted tickets or travel packages, to get credit card information or download malware. To protect yourself from travel scams, determine if a website is real. Don't trust phone numbers as they can be easily spoofed. Also, be wary of travel businesses that ask for payment before confirming reservations.