Holiday Shopping can be great fun, but they can also put you at great risk. Scams abound this holiday season, and you don’t want a smishing scheme or a bogus shipment notification to turn you into a Grinch.

Travel and charity scams

When it comes to charitable giving, AARP tell us that 55 percent of individuals surveyed report donating money in the past year, while 6 in 10 Americans acknowledge they don’t always research an organization before contributing.

Verifying a charity can be as simple as an online search. The IRS website can tell you whether the charity is registered as a 501(3)c, Forbes recommends Charity Navigator and Guidstar.org to see how the money is spent, and of course the Better Business Bureau to review potential complaints.

Travel is another big holiday spending area — with younger consumers more likely to be affected than older adults. The BBB reports that fake websites are increasingly becoming a common tactic for scammers, often using AI-generated designs that mimic well-known travel brands. These sites can appear nearly identical to legitimate airline or hotel booking pages, tricking unsuspecting users into making purchases. But when it’s time to board, travelers are left with nothing but frustration and lost money.

Avoiding these travel pitfalls by recognizing these red flags:

• Unrealistic prices: If the deal seems too cheap, it’s likely a red flag.
• Unsecure payment systems: Scam sites often lack security features, making it unsafe to enter payment information.
• Spelling and grammar errors: AI-generated sites often make subtle mistakes, which can be a clue that the site isn’t legitimate.

Porch Pirates and gift card scams

Instances of packages being snatched from doorsteps continue to rise. This has happened to about 4 in 10 adults who live in urban areas and 3 in 10 in the suburbs, according to one survey. That’s particularly notable, given that about half of consumers say they will rely on package delivery this season.

Doorbell cameras and adjusting delivery schedules to when someone is home at the delivery address are just a couple ways to keep yourself from becoming a victim.

Gift cards are often seen as a simple solution for hard-to-buy-for friends and family, but they can be compromised too — even those bought at the store. Scammers can tamper with gift cards on store racks, recording the gift card number and stealing the funds when the card is activated. It’s a growing problem, but not all hope is lost — two-thirds of those affected by no-balance gift cards worked with retailers or card issuers to get at least some of the funds restored.

One way to protect the gift cards you gift are to purchase them online directly from the retailers or restaurants. If you do buy a gift card off the rack in a store, avoid cards with obvious tampering to the packaging, and keep your receipt with the gift card number recorded in the event you have to make a claim.

Smishing: Package Tracking Text Scams

Have you received unsolicited mobile text messages with an unfamiliar or strange web link that indicates a USPS delivery requires a response from you?  If you never signed up for a USPS tracking request for a specific package, then don’t click the link! This type of text message is a scam called smishing.

Smishing is a form of phishing that involves a text message or phone number. The United States Postal Service has reported that victims will typically receive a deceptive text message that is intended to lure the recipient into providing their personal or financial information. These scammers often attempt to disguise themselves as a government agency, bank, or other company to lend legitimacy to their claims.

The criminals want to receive personally identifiable information about the victim such as: account usernames and passwords, Social Security number, date of birth, credit and debit card numbers, personal identification numbers (PINs), or other sensitive information. This information is used to carry out other crimes, such as financial fraud.

The Postal Service offers free tools to track specific packages, but customers are required to either register online, or initiate a text message, and provide a tracking number. USPS does not charge for these services! USPS will not send customers text messages or e-mails without a customer first requesting the service with a tracking number, and it will NOT contain a link. So, if you did not initiate the tracking request for a specific package directly from USPS and it contains a link: don’t click the link!

If you suspect the text message you have received is suspicious but are expecting a parcel, please do not click on any links. Rather, report it and visit USPS.com from your mobile device or computer for tracking and additional resources.