Do you love the holiday season? Sadly, so do scammers and fraud artists. In fact, these sophisticated thieves will often tailor their approach to match the mood of the holidays, capitalizing on the fact that we all get a little rushed and a bit distracted during these busy weeks. On top of that, we’re more likely to be spending money online and via smart phone – a tempting target.

Even though Christmas is just about here, it’s always a good time for a warning about the scammers lurking on the other end of that phone call, text, or email. That’s why we’re bringing you this recent article from the Washington Post in which reporter Shira Ovide reminds us that holiday season is also scam season. But if you and those you love mix some precautions with common sense, you can avoid becoming the fraudster’s next victim.

Bottom line: don’t trust that text or email. Verify it first! Let’s see what else Ovide suggests.

Tailoring Their Bag of Fraudulent Tricks for the Season

While we’re decorating our homes with holiday flair, scammers are also putting a festive twist on their tricks. Ovide writes, “To steal your money, they’ll con you with bogus pleas for charitable donations or gift cards. Crooks entice you with holiday coupon links that hijack your bank account or let them order goodies from your online shopping accounts.”

John Haraburda, director of product management at Transaction Network Services – a  technology that verifies the legitimacy of business calls – puts it this way: “There’s a season for every scam.”

Ovide adds, “No one is immune from the criminal grinches. Scam victims are just like you and me.” She provides us with the following four self-protection tips to build our resilience against scammers at Christmas – and at any time of year.

Fraud Prevention Tip #1: If Prompted to Click or Call, Don’t!

One of the easiest ways for criminals to get your attention is by masquerading as a legitimate friend, family member, or business – even the local police department!  Moreover, they can play their charade with any phone call, email, or text.

“Be suspicious of every web link or phone call that you didn’t initiate. Overkill? Maybe. But your motto should be, always verify another way,” Ovide writes.

For example, if you get a text message that FedEx is holding a package, don’t click any links or call any numbers listed in the message. According to Cloudflare, a digital security company, there has been a recent increase in scam attempts posing as delivery notices. Instead, go straight to the official FedEx website, app, or customer service number and type in the tracking number provided in the text message.

Another example provided by Ovide is an email message that seems to be from your workplace human resources department with a link to contribute to a holiday gift drive. Don’t click the link or reply to the email. Find the contact info of your HR department on your own and verify that they sent it.

Fraud Prevention Tip #2: “Never Pay in Weird Way!”

“That rhyme, from my colleague Heather Kelly, reminds you that reputable companies and government agencies won’t ask you to make payments by cash, gift cards, cryptocurrency or personal payment apps like Zelle, Venmo or Cash App,” Ovide writes.

Never pay an organization like a bank or cellphone company over the phone or in an online chat, Ovide says, unless you were the one who initiated the call or chat.

“If a customer support person asks you to download software to your computer or hand over an account password or confirmation code, that’s probably a scam,” she adds, and it should raise red flags.

Fraud Prevention Tip #3: Fear and Pressure Set Off Alarm Bells

Fear or time-pressure are never tactics used by legitimate businesses, but scammers employ these emotional devices to their advantage. Ovide says, don’t give into pressure. She writes, “It’s difficult to fight your instincts, but it’s a self-preservation measure to slow down when you feel emotional.”

For example, if a caller claims that there’s an “emergency” with your bank account or a fraud attempt on your Amazon and they ask for payment, personal information, or your password, take a minute to verify the problem first (as in tip Number 1).

Doriel Abrahams, principal technologist with the fraud prevention firm Forter, also says that criminals appear to be using artificial intelligence to generate mass messages pretending to offer big discounts.

“Stop before you click on what could be a bogus holiday coupon that swipes your credit card details or account information,” Ovide warns. “Verify the deal another way. Use the company’s app or website to see if you can find the discount. Or search Google or Reddit to see if people are talking about the deal.”

Fraud Prevention Tip #4: Talk to Someone You Trust

Any time you’re asked to hand over money, give out personal information, or reveal a secure password, “talk to another human first,” Ovide writes. “You can gut check the request, plus it buys time for your instincts to kick in.”

Abrahams agrees: “Talking to someone else takes you out of the loop that the fraudster is trying to keep you in.”

As one more helpful technique, Ovide encourages practicing what she calls white lies to repeat if you need to wriggle out of a conversation. She says to try, “Someone is at my door. I’ll call you right back.” Or say that you need to feed your baby or dog – or that you left something on the stove – anything to terminate the call.

A Glimmer of Good News on the Fraud Prevention Front

Just as fast as scammers are improving at their craft, technology and legal protection are rising to meet the challenge.

“A technology system known as STIR/SHAKEN is helping stop con artists from using numbers that mimic those of legitimate businesses,” Ovide writes. “TNS said that’s helped cut the number of suspected spam or scam robocalls from roughly 107 billion in 2019 to 68 billion in the past year. (Yes, that’s still far too many.)”

There are also recent regulatory crackdowns and laws to limit companies from harvesting and selling your data.

Ovide concludes, “The less personal information that criminals can buy or steal — including your Social Security number, address and phone numbers — the fewer opportunities they have to personalize their scams.”

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(originally reported at www.washingtonpost.com)