How to Protect Yourself from Common Holiday Scams

Saint Anthony – The holiday season is full of the spirit of giving and people looking for a good deal. Thieves often take advantage of these situations with scams.

San Antonio Police Sergeant Washington Moscoso warns the community to be vigilant at all times, whether in person or through text messages, emails and social media.

“Every year the same thing happens, we receive those reports and, unfortunately, many times these crimes do not occur in San Antonio, but on the internet. That is why it is difficult to arrest and prosecute the criminal,” Moscoso commented.

Here is a list of some of the common scams during the holidays:

• A link that informs about a package delivery attempt or how to track a package.

  • Many of us expect packages, but you have to be careful with those generic text messages with a link.

  • Clicking on the link could infect your phone or computer with malware that allows criminals to steal your passwords and personal information.

• Fake social media ads with offers that seem too good to be true are common phishing scams.

  • There are many websites from companies you’ve never heard of that offer deals or have great products. Those products and website could be fake.

  • Try to buy from reputable companies and websites, or call the store and make sure the online offer is real.

• Be wary of nonprofits and fake organizations that appeal to your feelings to ask for donations.

  • Instead, Moscoso says to research those companies before opening your wallet, or try donating through more well-known organizations that have been verified.

• There are fake seasonal job offers that could lead you to lose your money.

  • A common scam, Moscoso says, is the secret shopper, where a person receives a check for a large amount of money and is told to cash it at the bank.

  • A certain amount of that money must be used to purchase gift cards and returned to the thief. But before the victim realizes it, the check is processed and turns out to be a fake check.

• Thieves also use fear to get victims to hand over their information.

  • Be wary of text messages, emails or phone calls from someone claiming to be from your bank or a law enforcement agency. It could be an imposter trying to trick you into handing over money or your personal information.

  • Instead, Moscoso recommends calling your banking institution or the agency that contacted you directly and verifying what they told you.

You can find more information about scams here..

READ THIS STORY IN ENGLISH HERE

Find more KSAT stories in Spanish here