Area Holiday Shoppers Warned To Be Alert For Fraud, Fake Charities

Area law enforcement officials are advising consumers to stay alert this holiday season as sophisticated scams are focused on stealing money and personal information from shoppers and donors.

The FBI Philadelphia Field Office and the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office have issued public warnings and noted the holiday season is prime time for criminals to defraud unsuspecting victims.

“Do not let the bustle of the holiday season bring your guard down — scammers see this time of year as prime time to steal and defraud,” Attorney General Dave Sunday said. “If you find yourself in a situation where things don’t seem quite right, or too good to be true, stop and think it over before clicking pay.”

The FBI’s local office said some of the most frequent schemes they encounter during the holidays are non-delivery scams, where a buyer pays for goods never received, and non-payment scams, where a seller ships items but never gets paid. Gift card fraud, where sellers demand payment via a prepaid card, is also common.

“The holiday season is a time to bring people together, but scammers are working to separate you from your money and personal information,” Wayne A. Jacobs, special agent in charge of the FBI Philadelphia Field Office, said.

Tips from the attorney general’s office:

Stick with Trusted Retailers

Online deals may look tempting, but not all are legitimate. Scammers are able to create websites that look almost identical to legitimate ones. Oftentimes these fake websites are built to steal your personal and credit card information. Sometimes, these websites may show up as “sponsored results” on your preferred search engine. Just because a website is sponsored or shows up before another website, this does not ensure it is a legitimate website.

Be Smart About How You Pay

Attorney General Sunday strongly advises against paying for any services or items with wire transfers, cryptocurrency, or money orders. Scammers may also ask you to pay for items with a gift card that you normally would not be able to use a gift card for, such as paying bills, parking tickets, or other items. All of these are common tools that scammers use to avoid being tracked.

Read the Fine Print

Buy Now, Pay Later services may help manage big holiday purchases, but these services are not always as simple as they seem. Some of these services come with hidden fees or penalties if you miss a payment. Interest rates can vary dramatically on these buy now, pay later services. You should carefully read all of the terms and conditions before signing up for these services. Feel free to ask questions about the costs and fees before signing. If a vendor refuses or is reluctant to answer your questions, that may be a red flag.

Protect Your Personal Information

Scammers don’t just want your money – they want your identity, too. If a website or email asks you for your Social Security Number or bank account information, that’s a big red flag and you should immediately stop communicating with that person.

Be wary of any text messages or emails that appear to be from delivery services (such as USPS, UPS, or DHL), banks, or retailers that you did not request.

Look Out for Loved Ones

Scammers often target seniors, young people, and those who may not be as familiar with digital risks and online scams. Take a few minutes to share these tips with your loved ones to ensure they can keep their money and personal information safe this holiday season.

Pet-Related Scams

Considering a furry friend as a gift?

Be careful when adopting or purchasing a pet online, as some sellers use complex financing offers with high interest rates. Thoroughly research the seller, breeder, inspection records, and medical records.

Pennsylvania’s Dog Purchaser Protection Provision ensures consumers buying a dog in Pennsylvania know that their new dog has a clean bill of health.

Local FBI officials warned of charity fraud schemes that seek donations for organizations that do little or no work. The goal is to use charity to enrich those behind the operations.

The FBI offers the below tips to avoid charity fraud:

Give to established charities or whose charitable work you know and trust.
Be aware of organizations with copycat names or names similar to reputable organizations.
Be wary of new organizations that claim to aid victims of recent high-profile disasters.
Give using a check or credit card. If an organization asks you to donate through cash, gift card, virtual currency, or wire transfer, it’s probably a scam.
Don’t click links or open email attachments from someone you don’t know.
Manually type out links instead of clicking on them.
Don’t provide any personal information in response to an e-mail, robocall, or robotext.
Check the website’s address—most legitimate charity organization websites use .org, not .com
Use strong, unique, and complex passwords or phrases for each individual accounts; do not reuse passwords across multiple accounts.
Beware of phishing attempts. Do not click on any suspicious links or attachments in emails, texts, websites, or social media.

Officials remind the public to look out for loved ones, as scammers often target seniors, young people, and those less familiar with digital risks and online scams.

If you believe you are a victim of a holiday shopping scam or a related fraud, you can report it to your financial institution and to the FBI by filing a complaint to the IC3 at ic3.gov. A complaint can also be filed with the Pennsylvania Attorney General Office’s Bureau of Consumer Protection online, by calling 717-787-3391, or by emailing scams@attorneygeneral.gov.

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