Protect Yourself This Season! 48% of Online Holiday Shoppers Have Been Scammed
Posted in Consumer Protection, Health & Wellness on December 2, 2024
The holiday shopping season, famous for deals and discounts, is also a peak time for cyber scams. Nearly half of Americans plan to shop on Cyber Monday, one of the busiest times for fraudsters. A recent survey found that 48% of shoppers reported being targeted by scams while shopping online, and more than half expressed concern about encountering scams during the holiday rush.
Common Holiday Shopping Scams
Respondents highlighted their biggest concerns, such as having personal information stolen, falling for phishing schemes, or encountering fraudulent delivery notifications. Many also worried about scams targeting older family members or deceptive AI-generated shopping offers.
Shoppers reported falling for the following scams:
- 39% Online shopping scam
- 26% Phishing scam
- 23% Package delivery scam
Other common types of fraud include overpayment or refund scams, gift card scams, and instant payment scams.
While scams can occur in various online spaces, scammers particularly favor these platforms:
- 40% Social media
- 35% Third-party websites
- 30% Email
- 28% Text messaging
How to Safeguard Your Holiday Shopping
With scams on the rise, it’s crucial to take steps to protect yourself:
- Stick to reputable stores and carefully evaluate lesser-known sellers by checking their reviews, ratings, and contact information.
- Ensure the retailer’s URL begins with “https” and features a padlock icon, especially on checkout pages.
- Avoid offers that seem too good to be true. Unrealistically low prices on high-demand products are often bait for scams.
- If shopping on public Wi-Fi, activate a VPN to encrypt your connection and safeguard personal data.
- Secure your shopping and financial accounts with complex, unique passwords, preferably managed with a trusted password manager.
- Set up purchase alerts on credit cards or use virtual credit card numbers for added security.
- Consider tools that flag suspicious websites and detect potential scams.
Think You’ve Been Scammed?
If you’ve been scammed, don’t panic. Take these steps to protect yourself:
- Update your passwords and enable two-factor authentication.
- Contact your bank, report it to the FTC at ftc.gov, and notify the website or platform where it happened.
- Keep an eye on your bank and credit accounts for unusual activity.
- If sensitive info was stolen, visit gov for help.
- Be on the lookout for follow-up scams promising to fix the issue.
The increase in online shopping has led to cyber scams affecting holiday shoppers globally. By keeping alert and following safe practices, you can enjoy the ease of online shopping while ensuring your financial and personal information remains secure.
Happy Cyber Monday shopping!