How to Avoid Scams Over the Holidays: the Pasco County Sheriff Advises

Photo for illustrative purposes only. Photo by arvind grover on Flickr.

The holiday season is once again upon us, so as per usual, the scammers are out in force. In an effort to raise awareness, the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office (PSO) posted a press release on November 27 detailing its current list of holiday scams and how to best avoid them. 

The PSO says, “Amid the excitement and chaos of holiday shopping, there is a group of people who seek to take advantage of busy shoppers—scammers”. The best way to foil these “Grinches” who “aim to ruin the holiday spirit” is “by staying informed”. 

According to the PSO, the most common scams center around gift cards, look-alike websites, social media gift exchanges, social media discount codes, marketplace apps, and charity fraud.  

Gift Cards:
Scammers steal gift cards from retailers, copy the bar codes, and return them. Once these cards get purchased, scammers immediately have access to the money put on the cards. To avoid this scam, inspect each gift card prior to purchasing.

Be certain that the packaging shows no signs of tampering, including any unusual marks around the bar code or anything that would indicate the package had been opened and glued back together. In addition, save all receipts after purchasing gift cards. Receipts can be used to validate original ownership and the value of the gift card in the event that it was involved in a scam. 

Once purchased, the PSO says that it is important to register gift cards online with each gift card’s company. This will protect their credit values and reduce the risk of theft and misplacement. Furthermore, when purchasing gift cards, do so through a legitimate retailer. Using an auction or community website to buy gift cards poses risks. 

Look-Alike Websites:
Sometimes scammers create spoofed websites, or websites that mimic legitimate retailers’ original websites, in order to fraudulently collect money and personal information from shoppers. Once victims enter their payment method and personal information, scammers can steal their identities and use this information for additional crimes. 

These spoofed websites often look legitimate, but “there are ways to recognize a scam”. When shopping online or through apps, “be mindful of social media advertisements offering deals that are too good to be true”. 

As an extra safeguard, the PSO suggests that shoppers can also utilize the Whois Lookup domain tracker to see how long a website has been live. A padlock symbol located in the browser for a website is another good identifier for knowing if it is secure. 

Social Media Gift Exchanges:
In the modern age of social media, scammers have begun to mislead people into sending them a gift under the lie that a gift will be sent in return. When people fall for this scam, they typically send a gift to the scammer and share their personal information in order to receive the gift they expect in return.

However, the scammer does not reciprocate with a gift and instead steals the victim’s identity and may use it to commit additional crimes. This scam can function as a pyramid scheme as well by “using victims to recruit friends and family to join”. As a form of gambling, pyramid schemes are illegal in the U.S.

The PSO recommends that if you see a social media gift exchange, then you should report the content, whether it is a post, photo, reel, story, or something else. The PSO also warns that social media gift exchange content should never be shared, commented on, or interact with in any way. 

Social Media Discount Codes:
Similar to social media gift exchange scams, these discount code scams offer promotional codes through social media posts, stories, and so on. Scammers will claim that these codes reduce prices or make an item free if shoppers just pay for shipping costs. 

However, like the look-alike website scam, the websites where these codes can be entered are likely fraudulent. The PSO states, “Scam websites often withhold contact information, a return policy or the cancellation process, leaving victims with limited ways to dispute transactions”. 

So, when you see a coupon code, the PSO recommends that it is better to be safe than sorry and use something like Whois Lookup “to ensure the offer is legitimate”. Shoppers may also be safer if they use credit cards, as the PSO finds that credit cards have added purchase protection and allow shoppers to monitor the purchases they make.

Marketplace Apps:
Online marketplaces may feature deals and convenience for buyers and sellers alike, but they are also risky. As such, the PSO suggests that when making inquiries and completing transactions, buyers should:

• Only communicate with sellers via in-app messaging systems 
• Be accompanied by someone they trust when going to collect items
• Only meet sellers in well-lit and heavily populated public places, 
• Avoid wearing flashy or expensive jewelry or clothing
• Thoroughly inspect the item being bought prior to completing the transaction
• Refrain from having cash on them when meeting with a buyer
• Use secure apps to make transactions 
  

Charity Fraud:
While it is usually a good thing that generosity is in the air this time of year, scammers tend to exploit this kindness as a weakness and invent fraudulent charities. So, when choosing a charity to donate to, the PSO recommends that givers “research and read reviews for charities you are interested in supporting”. 

In the event that a charity reaches out directly, its contact information can be verified through its website. Being mindful about emails and any attachments that request donations could also help. These could be other scams by themselves. 

When donating to a legitimate charity, it may also be wise not to pay with cash, debit cards, gift cards, or through money wiring. These methods are typically not as safe for givers. 

In addition, givers might benefit from double-checking whether they have signed up for a one-time donation or recurring donations, keeping records of all donations made, and frequently reviewing their billing statements. 

As the PSO put it, “Before you dive into your shopping, take a moment to read PSO’s list of holiday-related scams, and maybe consider checking it twice”. To read the PSO’s original list, click here.

Article by Ema Tibbetts