Don’t let scammers rob you of joy and more this holiday season.
That advice comes from law enforcement and other government officials who warn vultures have come up with a myriad of ways to defraud people online and offline and can be particularly active during the winter holiday season.
“There are so many people who are victims of scams,” said Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart. “They happen all the time. It’s just with the holiday season there does seem to be an uptick because they are trying to take advantage of people during this time when they are more stressed and trying to figure out gifts or whether or not a charity sounds good, so they do ramp it up.”
According to the FBI website, holiday scams include:
- Non-delivery scams, where you pay for goods or services you find online, but you never receive your items
- Nonpayment scams, where you ship purchased goods or services, but you never receive payment for them
- Auction fraud, where a product you purchase was misrepresented on an auction site
- Gift card fraud, where a seller asks you to pay with a pre-paid card
The FBI’s 2023 Internet Crime Report notes among losses reported nationally were:
- $744.2 million for personal data breaches
- $309.6 million for non-payment/non-delivery
- $173.6 million for credit card/check fraud
- $126.2 million for identity theft
Illinois ranked seventh among the top 10 states with $335.8 million in reported losses across all reported Internet crime with 15,783 Illinoisans having reported being victimized in 2023. That ranked the state eighth in the most reported number of complaints.
Seniors are often targeted by scammers via unsolicited phone calls.
“Seniors are by themselves frequently, and some don’t mind talking to strangers,” said Dart. “They become particularly susceptible.”
Indeed, Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs said his 79-year-old father has been targeted. His dad received a call while visiting him earlier this year and, during the call, overheard him repeating his credit card number.
“I had heard enough of his end of the conversation to know that there was a scammer on the other end of the line,” Frerichs shared.
He pleaded with his father to hang up and not give out any more personal information. But his dad waved him off, Frerichs said. After he hung up the phone, his dad told him he knew a scammer was on the other end of the line and that he gave him a made-up credit card number. He didn’t immediately hang up because he figured if the scammers were talking to him, they weren’t scamming someone else, Frerichs said.
While seniors can be more vulnerable, anyone can be a victim, said Dart and Frerichs, who advised shoppers to be vigilant to avoid fraudsters attempting to lure them with great deals.
“If it seems too good to be true, it probably is,” Frerichs warned.
Unfortunately, there’s no time like the holidays for fraud. Online shopping is convenient and popular, for shoppers and scammers alike. Experts suggest restricting your purchases to reputable vendors. (Wilfredo Lee / AP)
The Illinois Financial Wellness Hub site on the treasurer’s office website and the FBI website list these among holiday scams and offer the following advice on how to avoid being victimized:
Free Apps that offer special deals or sales: Once you download the app, fraudsters can steal financial information and passwords and use your phone to send spam texts.
Advice: Before downloading an app, search online to determine if it is legitimate, look at reviews, check ratings and only download reliable apps.
Phishing websites posing as online stores with great prices: When you put in your credit card information or other financial data they can get access to your accounts.
Advice: Don’t click any suspicious links or attachments in emails, texts, on websites or social media. Examine the email address in all correspondence and scrutinize website URLs. Scammers often mimic legitimates site or email addresses. Look for misspellings. A legitimate site should have https in the web address. If it doesn’t, don’t enter your information. If you’re purchasing from a company for the first time, do your research and check reviews.
Fake products sold for incredibly low prices online: When your package arrives, it’s counterfeit.
Advice: Buy only from reputable sellers, like the actual brand’s online store.
Electronic greeting cards and gift cards with malware: When you click the link in the card, the scammers will install malware on your computer, and you end up with viruses and spyware.
Advice: Don’t open or click links within suspicious greeting cards. If it came from someone you don’t know or your name is misspelled, delete it immediately.
Travel scam holiday packages: Scammers offer inexpensive travel packages. They get your money, but you don’t get your vacation package.
Advice: Buy travel packages only from reliable sellers.
Fake Shipping Notification for Gifts: You get shipping notices via email or text, often using the logos of companies like FedEx to seem legitimate. You’re asked to click a link to see the parcel sent to you. When you do, malware is installed.
Advice: Don’t click on links within questionable emails or texts.
Fraudulent sellers asking you to use pre-paid gift cards to pay them: Scammers tell you to buy a gift card, like a Google Play or Apple Card, and give them the numbers off the back of the card. Instead of using that gift card for your payment, the swindlers steal the funds and you never receive your item.
Advice: Be aware that no legitimate business will ever tell you to buy a gift card to pay them.
Disreputable Sellers of Fake Gift Cards: You receive emails saying you have been sent gift cards. Again, a link within the email can lead you to malware.
Advice: Buy gift cards only from reliable sellers. Don’t click the link, just delete.
Fake charities requesting donations: Scammers send you an email requesting a donation, often with photos and stories stolen from actual charities. You contribute but the actual charity never gets the donation.
Advice: donate only through known charities and do your research. Visit the charities website, which will often tell you how to donate.
Dart adds when receiving solicitations by email, text or phone, don’t do anything immediately.
“Don’t jump at the moment,” he said. “That’s part of the way these folks operate. They try to take advantage of people who are rushed and try to force people to make quick decisions.”
Take information down if you choose to and tell them you’ll get back to them after you’ve done your research or just hang up, he advised.
If you think you’ve been victimized, if a credit card or bank account was used, contact your credit card company or financial institution immediately to report it. Also report it to law enforcement, including the Illinois attorney general’s office, said Dart and Frerichs. For more information visit illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/File-A-Complaint/.
Francine Knowles is a freelance columnist for the Daily Southtown.
