Crazy, Crafty Holiday Scams

Local police are reporting more phone scams this Christmas season, and some of them are dumber than a rock, but still, sad to say, people are falling for them, and many times, the victims are the ones who can least afford to be scammed — the elderly on fixed incomes, or the single mom trying to raise three kids alone.

Some of the scammers are even playing the part of police, asking for personal information, which no one would give out willingly over the phone to a complete stranger, but when they hear the voice on the other end of the phone say, “police,” they drop their guard.

Even more common, scams targeting donors and shoppers.

This should count as common sense, but the FBI is warning consumers to do their own research on the people calling them, hoping to scam money.

Common Holiday Scammers

Even while this story is being published, some scammer is no doubt at this very moment sitting around wondering what new con to play on the next person to answer the phone call or respond to an email.

Some of the most common scams include:

• Online shopping scams: Phishing emails or fake advertisements offer deals to lure consumers into providing payment details.

• Social media scams: Fraudsters use fake giveaways or surveys to steal personal information.

• Gift card scams: Victims are tricked into purchasing gift cards after receiving spoofed emails, calls, or texts.

• Charity scams: Criminals pose as fake charities to collect donations.

• Work-from-home scams: False job offers promise convenience but aim to exploit personal details or funds. (Source: CBSNews.com.)

According to the same news source, law enforcement officials are offering the following tips to safeguard against holiday scams, which is only common sense, but again, the scam artists know too well how to exploit the public:

1. Verify the source: Research retailers, charities and individuals requesting money.

2. Be cautious with payments: Avoid gift card or cryptocurrency payments, which are difficult to trace. Credit cards offer stronger fraud protections.

3. Scrutinize deals: Unusually low prices or unfamiliar merchants may indicate counterfeit or stolen goods.

4. Practice cybersecurity hygiene: Avoid clicking on suspicious links in emails or advertisements.

5. Secure deliveries: Use package lockers or other secure delivery options to prevent porch piracy.

People may look at this list and think, who would fall for a scam that’s so obvious?

If you’ve lived long enough, you probably know someone by now, friend or family, who was scammed, feels stupid about it, but the money is now gone just the same.

Trick is, don’t let it happen twice.

Part of it has to do with the aging Baby Boomer population, born between 1946 and 1964, of which there are approximately 70 million vs. their parents’ generation of approximately 35 million.

With age, sadly comes some loss of cognition for some people, so the field for scammers to dig for gold has grown just that much bigger.

Secret Sister

One of the most common rip-offs this Christmas Season has to do with the “social media” scams, which work like this according to the Better Business Bureau: “The older version was called ‘Secret Sister.’ Newer versions of this scam revolve around exchanging bottles of wine or bourbon; another suggests purchasing $10 gifts online. Another twist asks you to submit your email to a list where participants get to pick a name and send money to strangers to ‘pay it forward.’ There is even a twist about ‘Secret Santa Dog’ where you buy a $10 gift for your ‘secret dog.’

In other words, the scam artists know how to pull the triggers of so many people. Mention “dog,” for example, and the hearts of many people melt, making them more susceptible to falling for a scam.

Suddenly they’re thinking with their heart, not their brain.

The Better Business Bureau ends with this note:

“In all these versions, participants unwittingly share their personal information, along with those of their family members and friends, and are further tricked into buying and shipping gifts or money to unknown individuals. It's also an illegal pyramid scheme. Stick to buying your friends gifts from trustworthy businesses, and check BBB.org before you buy.”

Free Gift Cards

“Free” is another big buzzword, according to the BBB. Like the word “sex,” it causes people to pause and take notice.

The most common way the scammers use the gift-card trick goes like this, according to the Better Business Bureau:

“Nothing brings good cheer like the word ‘FREE.’

“Scammers have been known to take advantage of this weakness by sending bulk phishing emails requesting personal information to receive free gift cards. In some of these emails, scammers impersonate legitimate companies and promise gift cards to reward their loyal customers. They may also use pop-up ads or send text messages with links saying you were randomly selected as the winner of a prize.”

How many of these do we get these days?

Too many.

“If you have received an unsolicited email with gift card offers, do not open it. Instead, mark it as spam or junk and delete it. However, if you opened the email, do not click on any links.” (Source: BBB.)

Here’s to a scam-less Christmas Season in the RGV this year, for young and old alike.