A warning from the Better Business Bureau: beware of online scams preying on your generous spirit this holiday season. As Fox 23’s Douglas Clark reports, scammers have a few new tricks this year to steal your money and identity.
According to Consumer Reports, cyber criminals have stolen more than $8 billion from consumers in the past two years. And while you may be taking a vacation over the holidays, scam artists will be hard at work.
First up is the online charity scam. You get an email that looks like it’s from a charitable organization. Experts say check the name carefully.
“There are a lot of what we call copy-cat charities. The name sounds like a legitimate charity – instead of ‘Make A Wish’ it’s ‘Grant A Wish’, instead of the ‘American Red Cross’ it’s the ‘National Red Cross.’ And they use these copy-cat names to take donations,” says BBB President Rick Brinkley.
And once they have your credit card information, they can steal your identity. If you get an email with a link to a website, don’t click on it. Instead, open a new window and find the legitimate website yourself.
Next up is the social networking scam. During one of the most social times of the year, it’s common to get emails that look like they’re from networking sites like Facebook and Myspace. They can look like they’re from a friend and contain a link to a picture or video. But watch out – clicking on the link can trigger spyware to download onto your computer.
“There are some key-loggers out there which are the most dangerous kind of spyware and malware that can actually track your keystrokes. So if you’re making purchases online, it can grab your credit card numbers and send them over the internet,” says Daniel Brown with Best Buy’s “Geek Squad.”
And there’s another scam to watch out for if you buy things through online auction sites like eBay and use payment systems like Paypal. Online shopper Terry Bull got a phony email alert about his account and saw the red flags.
“I’ve gotten stuff from Paypal. It shows up wanting you to log in, saying your account will become inactive because your credit card has been denied,” says Bull.
You should also watch out for the package delivery scam. You get an email from what appears to be a shipping company like FedEx or UPS, telling you someone has sent you a gift by mail, but you need to pay for the shipping.
“That is not the way delivery services operate. Remember, they don’t have your email address. How in the world are they sending you an email for a gift? Nowhere, when I’ve ever sent anything, have they asked for the recipient’s email address,” says Brinkley.
It’s best to call the shipping company directly to verify that they really have a package waiting for you.
Remember, never give up your passwords or credit card information through unsolicited emails. Also, change your passwords often and use different passwords for each account. And if you want to donate to a charitable organization, it’s best to call the charity first and ask about the best way to get involved.
For a complete list of the most common online holiday scams, visit:
http://newsroom.mcafee.com/article_print.cfm?article_id=3596.
