Tips to Avoid Holiday Scams

Every year thousands of people fall victim to scams around the holidays. Use the tips listed below when shopping this holiday season to make sure you don't get tricked into becoming the scammer's next victim.

• Keep a close eye on transaction history.
• Set account alerts.

Practice Good Cybersecurity

• Use strong passwords.
• Don’t click suspicious links or attachments in emails, on websites and social media.
• Be wary of social media ads.

Know Who You are Buying From or Selling to:

• Avoid buyers who request to be paid using only payment apps. Only use payment apps to send money to people you know and trust.
• Be wary of buyers paying more than the selling price and request you pay a shipping company to pick up their item.
• Only use gift cards as gifts. Never pay for an item with gift cards.

Red Flags

• Sense of urgency.
• Spelling and grammar errors.
• Unexpected email or text message with link or request to download an app.

REMEMBER: If it sounds too good to be true -- it probably is.