How to Protect Yourself & Avoid Scams This Holiday Season

DELMARVA--Every year, thousands of people become victims of holiday scams. Whether that involves money or personal information, officials are urging everyone to stay alert. 

Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh and Karen Morgan with AARP held a webinar Wednesday afternoon to discuss popular scams and how to avoid them. 

Morgan said during this 'season of giving,' be on the lookout for criminals who have also created fake charities.

"Thirty eight percent of U.S. adults--that's you know, a significant proportion--say they've gotten charity requests that seemed fraudulent," said Morgan. "So how do you avoid this? Well a good way is to avoid giving to charities through fundraisers like through third parties who are raising money for X charity."

From stolen packages to notifications and fraudulent phone calls, experts said age nor education are factors to falling into their traps.

"The nice man from Nigeria is not going to put a million dollars in your bank account, the IRS is not going to arrest you, and your grandson does not need you to send gift cards to anyone to get him out of jail in Mexico," Frosh said.

Scammers tend to ask for insurance information, driver's license details or even your social security number--most commonly via emails or by phone. They may also ask that you click on a link for further verification.

"The point of saying all this is not to scare you about holiday shopping or to take the joy out of gift-giving, it's really to empower you so that you can protect yourself," said Morgan.

Delaware has also seen an uptick in fraud. DelDOT, DPH and DHSS all took to Facebook this past week, warning that fake text messages were circulating pretending to be them.

"Unfortunately, you know, there are spoofs out there where they can actually use our number and our logo as well too," said Dr. Rick Hong, state medical director at Division of Public Health. "So you just have to be very careful. You know, we try very hard to let people know we're going to ask for information, you know, publicly and then send out messaging but otherwise, you know, just kind of listen to your gut so-to-speak, and if they're asking for information like, 'wow, I've never, you know, been asked this information before, I'm not sure why they're asking information,' especially social security number, we should never be asking for your security number in that format."

Scammers are active year-round but the holiday season is an easy target because more consumers are shopping online. Officials also said if you get a random text message, call or email, DO NOT respond. If you answer the phone, hang up immediately. On the other hand, if you become a victim of fraud, don't be ashamed of it, just make sure you report it as soon as possible. 

For more information on how to freeze your credit if needed and/or report fraudulent activity in Maryland, go to www.marylandattorneygeneral.gov

The AARP Fraud Watch Network is a free resource. You can learn to proactively spot scams or get guidance at www.aarp.org/fraudwatchnetwork or call 1-877-908-3360.