7 Tips to Avoid Becoming a Victim This Season

If you are shopping online this season, the FBI and the Internet Crime Complaint Center (a division of Homeland Security) have some suggestions on how to keep your personal information safe from "want-to-be-thieves".

It is good advice for anytime of year, but especially when our minds are otherwise occupied.

Let's take heed and stay secure this Holiday Season.

7 Tips to Avoid Becoming a Victim This Season

This is the most wonderful time of the year for children... and for cybercriminals. In fact, weekends and holidays are very advantageous for criminals; as much as 85% of cyberattacks in the U.S. take place on these days, while we are distracted with other things. Thefts, cyber and other, also historically increase at this time of year.

The FBI warns that even everyday tasks, like opening an email attachment, following a link in a message or making purchases online, can open you up and make you vulnerable to such attacks. Every year, thousands become victims of what they dub “holiday scams”.

According to the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), a division of Homeland Security, in 2023, credit card fraud cost people $173 million and non-delivery schemes cost another $309 million in losses.

IC3 provided these tips to help you avoid becoming the next victim:

1) When shopping online, make sure the website address begins with ‘https’ before you enter your credit card information. The “s” at the end means it is secure.

2) Do some research on any company you are purchasing from for the first time. Check its legitimacy and reviews before trusting them with your personal information.

3) Avoid sellers that act as “authorized dealers” or “factory representatives” of popular items.

4) Be wary of “auctions” or other ads that make it seem the seller is in the U.S., but is actually not.

5) NEVER wire transfer money.

6) Avoid using pre-paid gift cards online. You will end up providing all of the information a scammer needs to steal your card and leave it with a zero balance.

7) And finally, always use a credit card when shopping online, never a debit card. You can dispute a credit card transaction with your credit card company. It is much more difficult to get your money back if it has already left your bank account.

Once you have placed your order—with a reputable, secure company—track the shipping so you can see the progress and anticipate delivery.

We sincerely hope this works and we are all scammer-free this season. However, if you believe that you or someone you know, has been a victim of fraud or another scam, contact your local FBI office and/or submit a complaint at ic3.gov. Whatever information you can provide will not only help them to resolve your case, but also help prevent others from falling victim to the same criminals.

We hope this article helps you all to have a very happy, and secure, Holiday Season!