The Holidays are approaching and as light and joy begin to fill the sights and sounds of the world, cybercriminals begin to scam the season away. As big as the holidays are as a season of giving, they are also a big opportunity for scammers to try steal our holiday cheer like the Grinch.

Fake Charities

A larger focus tends to be put on charities during the holiday season. However, people willing to give aren't the only ones focusing more on charities, scammers are too. During the holidays, scammers will create fake charities, GoFundMe campaigns, social media pages, and other charitable causes. These scams are not always easy to spot and can rob you of your money and/or sensitive information.

Before you donate money to any appealing charity this season, and any season really, make sure you know it is safe and legitimate. Here are some things to look out for:

• Look at the URL of the charity's webpage if they have one. Scammers may create look alike charities, so double check the URL and name to see if there is anything off such as:
  • Spelling changes to a real URL like "Wildfre" instead of Wildfire.
  • Additional special characters or numbers like "Wildfire!" or "W1ldfire";
  • Different domain same such as Wildfire.com instead of Wildfire.org
  • URL that doesn't start with https:// or shttp://
• Check for misspellings, vague language, and bad grammar in ads and content.
• No contact information listed.
• High-pressure tactics to get you to donate and create a sense of urgency.
• For GoFundMe, look into the organizer or the group behind the campaign.

If you have any sense of doubt when you come across a charity it is best to steer clear of it. You can also utilize tools such as the Better Business Bureau's (BBB) Wise Giving Alliance website to verify that a charity you have come across is real.

QR Code Scams

Also called Brushing Scams, these scams happen when someone receives a unexpected gift or item not ordered in the mail. The gift will have the recipients address, but there will be no sender information or any indication the gift came from a known retailer. When the package is opened there will be a QR code to scan with a smartphone to find out who sent the surprise gift.

If the QR code is scanned all of the information from that phone will be sent to the scammers, such as financial information and often a victim's bank account will be emptied by the scammer.

If you receive an unmarked package with a QR code inside to scan to fin out who the sender is, DO NOT SCAN the QR code for any reason. These scams are also beginning to show up in all places such as parking meters. Be weary when you come across a QR code to scan and make sure is is from a trusted source. If you have any doubt, skip out on scanning the QR code.

Gift Card Scams

Gift card scams can involve both scamming people into buying fake gift cards or getting people to use a gift card to pay for a fraudulent product or service. Gift cards are a go to for scammers because they are easy to buy and very hard to trace or refund. Hackers may also create fake stores offering free or discounted gift cards, but all you will get is an empty gift card.

Gift card warning signs:

• Free or Discounted gift cards: If you receive an unsolicited email or come across an ad offering free or discounted gift cards do not open the email, click any links, or buy the gift card unless you know with 100% certainty it is legitimate. If it is an email it is most likely a scam in the form of a phishing email!

• Avoid the Racks: When you look to buy a gift card at a store, be leery of the racks and resort to asking for one directly from the counter. If you do pick one from the rack make sure it hasn't been tampered with. Check the back to make sure the sticker is still there or hasn't been replaced, and get a receipt so you can verify the purchase if suspicious activity arises.

• Do NOT pay for anything using a gift card: Scammers may pretend to be your bank, a government agency, or a business and send you a text, email, or instant message asking/offering you to pay with a gift card. They may also give you a gift card number and PIN to pay with. This is a scam! No bank, business, or government agency will ask you to pay with a gift card. If a message says it's to protect your money, do not believe it.

Fake Online Stores

Fake online stores can be entirely fake, or can be made to look like a legitimate store. These phony stores may offer deals that seem almost too good to be true. Deals such as luxury, hard to find items, at an affordable price. These fake stores can lead you to have stolen credit card and personal information, and/or paying for a phony item or an item you will never get. Here are some red flags to look out for:

• Advertising significant discounts (50% off or more) on all of their items.
• Website or email contains poor spelling and grammar and bad quality images.
• Website is missing company info such as an "About Us"page, contact information, or item return information.
• Asking you to make payments that can't be reversed such as gift cards, cash, wire transfers, and payment apps.

With all of this considered, stick to reputable stores for your holiday shopping. If you come across a company you have never heard, always run a quick Google search to double check them and make sure they are good.

Shipping Notifications

When you buy an item online you are often presented with the convenient ability to track your package through notifications and links. While this is an awesome tool, it is also an ability scammers have taken advantage of.

If you receive an email or text message alerting you of a missed package, be careful before you click on the link. There is a chance it could be a phishing or smishing scam. These scams will lead you to a fake website with the goal of stealing your personal information or download malicious software onto your computer such as ransomware.

Read the notification carefully. Double check the URL listed and know that shipping companies like FedEx and UPS will not ask for personal information over an email or text. Other steps you can take is to call the support center company in charge of shipping to make sure the notification is safe, or visit the website you ordered from directly to track your package.

Travel Scams

The holiday season is also a big season for travel, and hackers are taking advantage of that as well.

Airfare

Scammers tend to target travelers with different schemes such as:

• Fake flight-booking websites
• Phony flight cancellation emails
• Price increases

If you come across a website or seller offering airline tickets at a huge discount, it may be too good to be true. Stick to purchasing your plane tickets directly through the airline itself or through reputable third-party sellers that offer customer service.

If you receive an email or other notification regarding your flight, contact the airline or third-party seller to make sure it is legitimate. Look for the signs mentioned above like incorrect links, creating a sense of urgency, poor graphics, and bad spelling and grammar.

Tolls

If you are traveling by way of car this holiday season, keep an eye out for fake road toll collection texts and emails, they have been on the rise. With this scam, fraudsters pretend to be a road tollway collection service and contact you about a toll fee you owe. They will also provide a link to make your payment.

If you get a text or an email don't click the link. If you do think you owe road tolls contact the official agency you may have a fee with.

Seasonal Jobs

Employment scams tend to go up as well around the holidays, with scammers looking to prey on those looking to earn some extra money. In 2023 the BBB found that employment scams were the number 1 riskiest scam for people of ages 18 to 44. So, be skeptical of jobs that offer really good money for little work or ask you to pay up front for equipment or training. Also keep an eye out for jobs that ask for personal information, such as your Social Security Number (SSN), bank account numbers, or tax information right away.

Money mule schemes are another thing to look. A mule scheme is a fake employer who asks you to cash checks through your bank, keep some of the money for yourself, and then send the rest of the money back to the employer.

Stay Safe

As you go about this holiday season, have fun and enjoy everything you love about, just be sure to pay a little bit closer attention to things and if something ever feels off don't buy into it.

We all at Wildfire hope you have a bright, warm, and safe holiday season.

If you ever feel you have fallen victim to a dangerous scam reach out to your local police or Sherriff, local FBI office, or local U.S. Secret Service office for assistance and what to do next.