How to Avoid the Busy Holiday Scamming Season

You’re not the only one joyfully anticipating the holiday season. Cyber criminals are all aflutter, too. Here are some of the most common ways these thieves operate, because awareness can help you avoid becoming yet another victim.

Tips to avoid holiday scams

These strategies will also help keep you a step ahead of scammers:

• Only shop online with reputable businesses you trust, using secure websites with an address that begins with https.
• Don’t shop or bank over public Wi-Fi.
• Protect your credit card privacy by covering your account number with your hand when shopping in public.
• Don’t respond to suspicious unsolicited calls or emails. Only open email attachments from senders you trust, and contact businesses only through their official websites, phone numbers or email addresses.
• Be leery of ads that turn up on Facebook and other social media sites offering vouchers, gift card and deep discounts, as well as the online surveys these ads often link to.
• Only install phone apps from familiar companies, and at the very least, find a third-party review from a trusted site if you’re interested in an app from an unfamiliar source.
• Monitor your credit to catch fraud at its earliest stages.

Scammers may be smart, but you can still outsmart them. A little foreknowledge and caution go a long way toward ensuring you’ll enjoy a safe and memorable holiday season.