Blog | Holiday Gift Scams to Watch Out for this Season
If you’re planning on giving gifts this year, you should be wary of some scams that you could fall victim to during the holiday season. The following scam can come in all shapes and sizes. Make sure you are familiar with how people can take advantage of you and how to spot the signs of a scam in progress!
Delivery Notice
This scam can come in the form of a text or email. It will say your package has been delayed or the delivery status has changed and will provide you a link to see the package’s status. This gets a lot of people since they more than likely have been ordering a ton of things online and will be expecting packages. There might even be a sense of urgency to get this item ASAP as a get-together, or something else will be happening soon. Scammers depend on you to click the link, so you accidentally download something, or they will perhaps send you to a fake site to try and get you to submit your login credentials or other personal info.
If you’re worried about a package, refer to the original order email to see the site’s offered tracking or get the serial number for the order. If you can, keep track of all your orders, where they are coming from, and the original shipping info.
Gift Cards
Gift cards are such an easy gift! You might even find a super unbelievable deal, like pay $40 and get a $100 gift card. For this scam, you will find a gift card on a website or an individual selling them online. How this scam works is that you send payment, trade cash for the card, or enter your payment online to order the card. In the end, you either never get the card, the card is empty, and even worst-case scenario, you also give away your debit or credit card info.
Keep an eye on where you are buying a gift card from, and always get a receipt. We recommend buying from a reputable store. Please don’t buy gift cards from individuals online unless you trust the person you are buying from.
Gift Exchanges
You might have attended a few gift exchanges over the years with friends and family, but maybe you see something new online. Social media every year is a host to huge gift exchange scams. This will sometimes be in the form of getting more gifts than your send or a massive gift exchange with tons of people from your friend list. To participate, you will be asked to sign up on a website asking for your and your friends, personal info.
Now, not only do they have your info, but also whatever items or money you have shipped to them.
Stay Safe
Remember, don’t overshare, make purchases from a reputable source, stay organized, and do your research when buying gifts. Make sure your purchases are protected with the Resource One Visa® debit and credit card Zero Fraud Liability coverage. Have you already been a victim of fraud? Contact our debit and credit card fraud department ASAP or request your replacement card using the information below.
If your card is lost or stolen, report it immediately at 1-888-918-7313.
If you see fraudulent activity on your card and need to file a dispute, call 1-866-820-2895.
