December is the time of year when we are preparing for the upcoming holidays and that usually means lots of shopping and online activity.  You might be grateful that you can now shop from the comfort of home without the hassle of crowds, malls, and parking, but so are all the criminals out there hoping to scam you.  Maybe you consider yourself savvy about online scams, but both the numbers of people and the diversity of people affected is so large, and the criminals so smart, that I think it is worth my time to write about this….and your time to read this. Consider this: Americans lost 6.1 billion to scams last year alone!

We have all heard of the most typical scams; fraudulent IRS calls, romance scams, people posing as family members or grandchildren in trouble, or the best one yet: “You’ve won the lottery, but all you need to do is send us a few thousand dollars so we can send you the winnings!”

But the more insidious scams are harder to detect. My sister received a voice mail saying the air conditioner filters she ordered would be delivered the next day. She was puzzled and worried since they said something about charging her credit card for the balance. When she called them to ask questions, of course they wanted her credit card information. When she hung up, she realized it was a scam, and verified this with her credit card company. But criminals get sneakier all the time.

According to multiple sources here are the top five scams of 2022:

1. Online Shopping Scams

Again, use of fake online shops offering great discounts to lure you into purchasing items. Always look for red flags like too-good-to-be-true pricing and discounts, incomplete item descriptions and aggressive sales tactics. Even emails or texts that look like Amazon, Costco, Walmart, and Best Buy that say you have won something are almost always fake. If it is too good to be true, it isn’t!

The trickier ones send you a fake confirmation (text or email) of a purchase or a delivery and say they have been trying to reach you but can’t. They invariably list a link to click on or a number to call and usually reference charging or billing you for this fake item. Your normal reaction is to be concerned and call or respond to clear this up. Don’t! Just ignore this as it is part of a “phishing” scam to get you to respond.

You might be surprised to learn that pet supplies accounted for over a third of online purchase scams in 2020!

2. Romance Scams

Nothing new but some of the most insidious and effective.  Scammers create fake profiles on social media and dating apps targeting lonely seniors. After they gain your trust, they will ask you to send money or buy items for them.  Please be careful. There are better ways to meet and connect to make new friends than online!

3. Covid Scams

Have you received any calls about some new Covid benefit program? All you have to do is apply and share some of your personal information! Criminals will pretend to be from your insurance company or even Medicare. Hang up and never share this type of information

4. Cryptocurrency Scams

These scams entice you with promises of easy money to try and trick you into downloading harmful apps and exposing your personal information. They use phishing emails embedded with fake link that when opened take you to a fake crypto trading site that looks identical to the legitimate one. They use free items, enticing prizes or easy investments to lure you in. Don’t fall for this!

5. Tech Support Scams

Recently I bought something from Best Buy and called the number from the manufacturer tech support. I wound up chatting online with a support person who seemed legit to begin with. But when he told me he needed to have access to my computer remotely I knew something was up. I asked him to give me his customer service number and I would call him back. He hung up on me! There was no legitimate tech support from this company; they had been hacked. If anyone ever asks you for remote access to your computer never allow it and hang up immediately.

SAFETY MEASURES TO TAKE

1. You should always be skeptical. It is Ok to hang up when in doubt. Never share any kind of personal information such as email addresses, passwords, full name and address, birthday, or any information that scammers can use to steal your identity.
2. Many secure sites now require two-factor authentication. This means the company or organization will send a code to your computer or phone and once you enter the code, you have access to your account. Some accounts, like your Social Security account now require this. Adding this feature almost guarantees safety and security for that account. Sure, it takes a little more time, but I highly recommend it.
3. Do a little research before purchasing items. Try entering the company name with the word scam and see what comes up. See what kind of reviews are posted before ordering anything.
4. Don’t ever do a wire transfer or purchase gift cards for payment. This is obvious fraud but still, many people fall for it.
5. Make sure you are on a secure website: look for the HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) on any website you visit. It will be part of the URL browser address. When you see only HTTP this means the website is not secure and should be avoided.
6. Consider an identity theft protection company that will monitor your accounts for unusual activity and alert you. Check out this website for how to shop for the best companies: https://www.caring.com/best-identity-theft-protection/

Happy Holidays Everyone and Be Careful Out There!

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