Don’t Let Scammers Steal Your Joy This Season

Next week is International Fraud Awareness Week, and Northwest Bank is urging consumers to use extra caution online this holiday season. Scammers take advantage of unique opportunities during the holiday season to defraud consumers. These involve phishing emails, charity scams, delivery scams and travel scams. The busyness of the season makes scams easier to miss, and in 2024, nearly 60% of the U.S. population made a purchase during Cyber Week (Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday).

The months surrounding the holidays are prime for scammers because of the hustle and bustle of the season and frequency of online purchases It’s important to be aware of these common scams surrounding the holidays to avoid dampening that festive mood.

During the season of giving, make sure scammers don’t steal your sensitive information and money by learning about these common types of scams during the holiday season:

• Phishing scams – Online shopping makes it easy to complete the gifting checklist, but also presents more opportunities for fake deals, counterfeit websites, and prices that are a “little too-good-to-be-true.” Be wary of clicking on links from social media ads or buying from websites without “https” in the URL.
• Charity scams – Fraudsters want to capitalize on people’s generosity during the holiday season by creating fake charities and organizations. Counterfeit charities may play on people’s emotions, pressure them to donate, ask for forms of payment like crypto or gift cards, and are vague about where exactly the money is going. Research the legitimacy of charities on websites like BBB Wise Giving Alliance and Charity Navigator before donating.
• Delivery scams – Online shopping means the anticipation of package deliveries and receiving delivery status updates. Scammers may send phony emails with fake delivery updates, pretending to be FedEx, Amazon and UPS and attempt to get you to share personal information. Keep in mind – these companies won’t send unsolicited messages asking for personal or payment information.
• Travel scams – Fake travel agencies may advertise discounts on airfare, luring people who travel during the holiday season. These scams are especially malicious because of sensitive information needed for legitimate travel like your address and credit or debit information. Double check URLs and be wary if your login information isn’t working on travel websites.

If you feel you may have fallen for a scam or have questions about unusual activity, contact us directly at 1-800-678-4105 or stop by your local Northwest Bank location for assistance.