Holiday ecommerce is expected to reach $236 billion in 2023. All that shopping creates a perfect opportunity for scammers to try and steal your hard earned money and your festive spirit.
Let’s work collectively to ensure those most important to us also know about safe online shopping. Here’s the scoop on the latest holiday scams and some tips to ensure you and your family aren’t impacted.
Online shopping scams
There are endless stories about unknowing buyers getting scammed during the holidays (and the rest of the year too). Well-intended family members may share links to desired items, but are they from legitimate websites? Searching on Google for a desired item may yield results from a scam website. Just because it appears high in the list of results doesn’t necessarily mean it’s trustworthy.
What you can do:
- Carefully review shopping links you receive from family members or friends. Since we don't know where they got the link, it's best to be cautious.
- Verify the legitimacy of unfamiliar sites before purchasing. Check for information about the site’s reputation, read reviews, and check the return policy.
- Don't be tempted by offers that appear too good to be true. These advertisements are often clickbait intended to catch unwary victims in a scam.
Shipping scams
Did you know that shipping company DHL was the top impersonated brand in 2022? Watch for texts or emails that appear to come from USPS, FedEx, UPS, or other shipping companies.
Phony messages often claim issues with the shipping address and request you click on a link to update your information. Or they might contain an alert about a delivery delay and prompt you to click the link for more information. Some even claim you need to pay a small re-delivery fee.
What you can do:
- Never click on links in unfamiliar emails or text messages.
- Check shipping progress independently - track your online purchases and delivery progress.
- Open packages immediately to confirm your order is correct.
Ensure secure purchasing
What's the best payment method for online shopping? What should I do to keep my financial accounts safe? Will my losses be refunded if I become the victim of scam?
These are important questions to consider when it comes to shopping online. None of us want to lose our holiday savings to cyber scammers. Take steps to reduce your risk to you - and your money - when shopping online.
What you can do:
- Use a credit card for online purchases. Credit cards provide greater consumer protection than debit cards or cash transfer services like CashApp or Zelle.
- Check bank account and credit card balances regularly during busy shopping seasons. You can also set up activity alerts for automatic and immediate updates.
- Avoid saving your credit card information in web browsers and on individual retailer sites. One less place to be concerned should they have a security breach.