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The holidays are one of the most exciting times of the year – for families and scammers. As spending is on the rise in November and December, so are the number of scams meant to take advantage of that spending. Use these 13 tips to learn how to protect yourself from internet scams during the holidays and the rest of the year.

13 ways to prevent holiday scams

While shopping

1. Monitor accounts regularly.

It’s next to impossible to avoid every scam out there. The next best thing is to catch that you’ve been scammed as soon as possible. The best way to do this is to check your bank and credit card accounts on a regular basis. Look for any charges that don’t look familiar to you.

It’s easy to monitor your accounts on a daily basis with resources like online banking and/or mobile banking.

2. Don’t open attachments or click links in suspicious emails.

Phishing (pronounced ‘fishing’) involves the use of fraudulent emails and copy-cat websites that try to fool you into revealing your personal information with them. If you receive an email from an unrecognized source, don’t open it. If you click on an email from what you thought was a reputable source and there’s an attachment, don’t open that attachment. Also, be careful what links you click on inside of an email.

Common phishing tactics include offering ‘too good to be true’ offers and leading you into a sense of urgency. For example –

• Email #1 states that you’ve won a cruise, but you don’t remember signing up for any sweepstakes
• Email #2 claims that you need to update your personal information ASAP or lose access to your account

Both emails are most likely phishing for your personal information. Don’t give it to them and don’t click anything that may let viruses infect your computer.

3. Request a free copy of your credit report.

Checking your bank accounts regularly is not the only way to you can spot fraud or identity theft. You should also be requesting your credit report on a regular basis. You’re entitled to one free copy of your report from each of the major three credit bureaus on a yearly basis. We recommend spacing those reports out every four months. You can get access to your credit report for FREE at AnnualCreditReport.com.

Your credit report is a financial picture of your current and past credit history. If you see a credit card or loan on that report that you did not open, it could be sign of identity theft. If you see any errors, you should report them immediately.

Read ‘The Guide to Understanding Your Credit Report’ so that you know what to look for.

4. Only shop online at secured websites (https)

When you shop online, you need to ensure that you’re only entering personal information on a secured, encrypted website. Look at the upper left hand of the computer and see what is at the beginning of the website url. Pages where you enter personal information should always start with https – not just http. The ‘s’ signifies that the website has added additional protection to their site to protect your information.

You will also get better security online if your browser is up-to-date. See if your browser could be hurting your security here.

5. Strengthen all account passwords.

If you use the same password for all your accounts, or the password is as simple as ‘123456’ – you’re definitely at risk for hacking. Your goal should be to make every password strong and resistant to a hacker’s efforts.

Get more tips by checking out our article, ‘7 Tips for Creating Strong Online Passwords for Your Accounts.’

6. Use a credit card for extra protection.

When you use a credit card, you have the added benefit of superior fraud protection. This is for two main reasons.

• The purchase is sent to the credit card issuer, like VISA, for extra verification before posting to your account. A company like VISA provide that extra barrier against fraud.
• If a fraudulent purchase is made, you can dispute the purchase on your credit card statement before paying for it. If someone made a fraudulent purchase on a debit card, the money would be taken straight out of your bank account and wouldn’t return until you successfully disputed the charge.

7. Limit the number of cards you carry with you while shopping in store.

If your purse is physically stolen, or a hacker uses a card reader on you while out, the less cards you have to replace the better. Only take the card you plan to use while shopping along with a back-up card. Also, consider making all of your holiday purchases on one card. That way it’s easier to track your spending and watch for potential fraud.

8. Verify the identity of anyone asking for personal information.

A common scam is for someone to contact you asking for personal information right away. No matter if the request comes through email, phone, or text – verify their identity! You can do this by googling the company separately, and researching their contact information. If they sent you an email, go to their website and call their customer service number to verify that they sent the email.

Keep in mind that a financial institution should never ask for personal information through email!

9. Avoid counterfeit products.

If you’re looking to score a deal while holiday shopping, make sure to be aware that counterfeit items often look like great deals. However, when the item arrives it will most likely be nothing like what you expected or have severe quality control issues. Avoid counterfeits with these tips.

• If a price seems low, compare prices across multiple stores. If one price is drastically lower than all other options, it’s likely counterfeit.
• Watch out for websites that look like the real deal, but have a large amount of grammatical and spelling errors. This is a sign that this product website is counterfeit.
• If it seems too good to be true, try calling their customer service line. Counterfeit websites often don’t list a phone number or will never answer if you call.

While traveling

10. Don’t let people know on social media that you’re gone.

The holiday season is a popular time to travel. It can be tempting to share your travels on social media sites, but try to wait until you’re back home. Criminals may be watching to see when you’re out of the house. They can then successfully rob your home while you’re away.

11. Avoid using unprotected Wi-Fi.

Hackers can easily hijack your Wi-Fi connection on public, unprotected connections. Try to avoid using public Wi-Fi to access personal accounts or make payments. Instead, use your mobile data until you have access to password-protected Wi-Fi again.

12. Book directly with travel providers like hotels and/or airlines.

Just like counterfeit product websites, there will also be websites that pretend to offer travel services. They may be unprotected during your transactions or never even deliver the plane ticket you booked. Protect yourself by booking directly with the hotel and/or airline you’ve chosen for your trip.

While giving

13. Find out if your chosen charity is legitimate.

Unfortunately, there are those that will take advantage of the holiday season by impersonating a charitable organization. Just make sure that before you donate, you investigate your chosen charity. Both Charity Navigator and the BBB Wise Giving Alliance are reliable sources to research charities.

Report all holiday scams

If you become aware of a scam or are the victim of one, it’s important to report it to the authorities. Notify at least one of the following agencies.

• Local police
• Your State Attorney General’s office
• Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
• Better Business Bureau (BBB)
• National Consumer League (NCL)

As long as you do your due diligence this holiday season, your personal information will most likely stay safe. Scammers are opportunistic criminals, so don’t make it easy for them to find an opportunity to scam you.

Get extra protection

Following high-profile data breaches at retailers and other agencies, you may want to consider extra protection. AmeriChoice members have access to our Benefits Plus program to fill this need. This member-exclusive program not only offers discounts on goods and services, but also comes with specialized identity theft protection. Restoration Rescue is included in the program and offers comprehensive support. Learn more about the program today!