Fighting Fraud
By Better Business Bureau Serving Greater Cleveland
BBB wants you to enjoy your holiday season. To avoid holiday headaches, BBB is providing these holiday scam warnings:
- Grandparents scam: Be cautious if you get a call from a grandchild or other family member claiming to need fast cash due to an accident, being hospitalized, or being arrested this holiday season. Do not send or wire money unless you confirm with another family member it is true.
- Phony charities: Feeling generous this holiday season? Some scammers take advantage of your generosity with fake solicitations through the mail, email, social media, and phone calls. Research a charity at give.org.
- Free gift cards: Buy gift cards from a reputable store. Online ads or emails that offer you free or low cost gift cards are often phishing ploys used to obtain your personal information. It’s easy for a scammer to receive your payment and never send your gift card.
- Unusual forms of payment: Use secure and traceable transactions and payment methods. According to BBB’s research, those who paid with a credit card were less likely to lose money. Be cautious when paying by digital wallet apps, prepaid money cards, or other non-traditional payment methods, as those payment methods likely can’t be traced.
- Look-alike website: It is easy to mimic a real website. If you are doing holiday shopping online, make sure you are using legitimate sites. Verify that the site’s payment page is secure. Look for “https” in the web address. The “s” stands for secure.
- Phishing: Don’t get fooled by holiday phishing emails. Use caution when opening emails for unknown holiday orders. Attachments or links can be used to steal personal information or passwords, as well as put viruses and malware onto your computer. This is also true for holiday eCards. Though they are a fun and easy way to spread holiday cheer, remember to use a reputable site. `
Avoid these common holiday scams by:
- Always asking for a gift receipt
- Inquiring about the store’s return policy before purchasing gifts
- Not clicking on unknown links from strangers
- Reading customer reviews and researching companies on BBB.org
- Checking give.org to find BBB Accredited Charities to donate to this holiday
- Reporting scammers to the “Naughty list” at bbb.org/ScamTracker
Questions? Reach out to your BBB at 216.413.5232 or email [email protected]. Have a scam to report?. For more news and tips visit BBB.org.
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