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FBI
Be aware of
cyber scams this holiday season
If the deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
The FBI reminds shoppers in advance of the holiday shopping season to
beware of cyber criminals and their aggressive and creative ways to
steal money and personal information. Scammers use many techniques to
defraud consumers by offering too good to be true deals via phishing
e-mails advertising brand name merchandise, quick money making offers,
or gift cards as an incentive to purchase a product. Remember, if the
deal looks too good to be true, it probably is and never provide your
personal information to an unknown party or untrusted website.
Scammers often use e-mail to advertise hot-ticket items of the year
that may become hard to find during the holidays to lure unsuspecting
consumers to click on links. Steer clear of untrusted sites or ads
offering items at unrealistic discounts or with special coupons. You
may end up paying for an item, giving away personal information and
credit card details, and then receive nothing in return, along with
your identity compromised. These sites may also be offering products at
a great price, but the products being sold are not the same as the
products they advertise. This is known as the bait and switch scam.
Beware of posts on social media sites that appear to offer vouchers or
gift cards, especially sites offering deals too good to be true, such
as a free $500 gift card. Some may pose as holiday promotions or
contests. It may even appear one of your friends shared the link with
you. If so, it is likely your friend was duped by the scam after it was
sent to them by one of their friends. Oftentimes, these scams lead to
online surveys designed to steal personal information. Remember, if the
deal looks too good to be true, it probably is. And never provide your
personal information to an unknown party or untrusted website.
When purchasing gift cards online, be leery of auction sites selling
discounted or bulk offers of gift cards. When purchasing gift cards in
the store, examine the protective scratch off area on the back of the
card to see if it has been tampered with.
Be on the lookout for mobile applications designed to steal your
personal information from your smartphone. Such apps are often
disguised as games and are often offered for free. Research the company
selling or giving away the app and look online for third party reviews
before installing an app from an unknown source.
Tickets to theater, concerts, and sporting events are always popular
gifts during the holidays. If you purchase or receive tickets as a
gift, do not post pictures of the tickets to social media sites.
Protect the barcodes on tickets as you would your credit card number.
Fraudsters will create a ticket using the barcode obtained from
searching around social media sites and resell the ticket. You should
never allow the barcode to be seen on social media.
If you are in need of extra cash at this time of year, beware of sites
and posts offering work you can do from the comfort of your own home.
Often, the work from home opportunities rely on convenience as a
selling point for applicants with an unscrupulous motivation behind the
posting. You should carefully research the job posting and individuals
or company contacting you for employment.
As a consumer, if you feel you are a victim of an Internet-related
crime, you may file a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint
Center at www.IC3.gov.
Tips
Here are some additional tips you can use to avoid becoming a victim of
cyber fraud:
Check your credit card statement routinely.
Protect your credit card numbers from “wandering
eyes”.
Do not respond to unsolicited (spam) e-mail.
Do not click on links contained within an
unsolicited e-mail.
Be cautious of e-mail claiming to contain pictures
in attached files, as the files may contain viruses. Only open
attachments from known senders. Scan the attachments for viruses if
possible.
Avoid filling out forms contained in e-mail messages
that ask for personal information.
Always compare the link in the e-mail to the link
you are actually directed to and determine if they actually match and
lead you to a legitimate site.
Log on directly to the official website for the
business identified in the e-mail, instead of “linking” to it from an
unsolicited e-mail. If the e-mail appears to be from your bank, credit
card issuer, or other company you deal with frequently, your statements
or official correspondence from the business will provide the proper
contact information.
If you are requested to act quickly or there is an
emergency, it may be a scam. Fraudsters create a sense of urgency to
get you to act quickly.
Verify any requests for personal information from
any business or financial institution by contacting them using the main
contact information on their official website.
Remember if it looks too good to be true, it
probably is.
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