It’s that time of year again. Holiday madness, crazed shoppers and packed malls. This also means that scams will be on the rise. Tis their season too! With Eight weeks till Christmas, it is time to be more alert. Here are a few tips in helping you keep your guard up.
Beware of pocket pickers! With packed stores, there are many distractions. Carry your wallet in your front pocket gentlemen and ladies don’t carry your purses just by your hand as it is too easy to run up and grab it. Also ladies, keep your purses zipped up.
Another tip is to make a copy front and back of each credit card you will be carrying in your wallet so if the unthinkable does happen to you, there is no guess work of what cards you had in your wallet and you can call your credit card companies as quickly as possible.
Don’t EVER give your bank information or personal information over an email, txt, or call no matter how official it sounds. The newest scam is receiving an email or txt with an 800 number to call with an automated system to verify your account and personal info. Don’t do it! If in doubt, walk in to your bank and ask or call the number that is on the back of your bank card or credit card.
Know your surroundings, especially at the ATM. Thieves not only put card readers in the machine, but they set up a hidden camera to capture your pin. So check out the cash machine before doing anything and if something looks suspicious, call the bank.
Tis the season to give! And we should! But be aware of charity scams. You can always go to sites like charitywatch.org or charitynavigator.org to check out an organization. Or you can always check out the bbb.org.
And finally, as it won’t affect your identity but would be a huge bummer, there is a new gift card scam. Thieves have a machine that can scan the gift cards that hang in the check out counter that captures the cards information. Then when you load the card, they go spend the money before the person who received it as a gift can! So the best thing to do is ask the cashier for a gift card from behind the counter and keep your receipt to it incase you run into any problems.
Be alert and know your surroundings to have a Happy Holiday Season!
