Tis the Season for Holiday Scams
The November and December months are the times where thousands of people take to the internet to do online shopping.
With so many options and deals online, it can sometimes be difficult to know if the special is really what it seems to be.
According to the 2018 Internet Crime Report, Texas ranked second on their list of the number of victims per state with a whopping 25,589 people.
Two of the major holiday scams are non-delivery and non-payment crimes. Non-payment scams are when goods and services are mailed but the payment is never sent. In non-delivery scams, the payment is sent but you never receive the product or services you paid for.
The question on everyone’s mind becomes how to avoid becoming a victim. Here are a few tips that the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) recommends.
- When making an online purchase obtain a tracking number so you can verify that your purchase was shipped. This will allow you to follow the delivery process.
- Verify the legitimacy of a buyer or seller before moving forward with a purchase.
- Ensure a site is secure before providing your credit card number online
- Always be wary of deals that seem too good to be true.
If you have become a victim of one of the many holiday scams, contact your bank and notify them. Also, contact your local law enforcement agency and file a complaint with the IC3. For more tips from IC3 on internet crime prevention, visit ic3.gov.
