Protecting Yourself Against the Latest Schemes

The holiday season is a busy and joyful time. With all the shopping, festivities and family gatherings, it’s easy to get distracted and fall victim to scams and theft without realizing it. Unfortunately, during this time of year, criminals and ID thieves are at the ready to steal your personal information and your money—so it’s important to be aware of and protect yourself against the latest scams and fraud. Here’s what experts are warning against for the 2021 holiday season:

Gift Card Scams

A common scheme this season is prepaid gift card scams in which the seller asks for a gift card number and pin to pay for your item. But instead of using the gift card to pay for what you are purchasing, they steal the funds. It’s best to pay for gifts and other purchases using a credit card and to continually check your statements to ensure there are no unauthorized charges.

Point of Sale Scams

We all know to safeguard our debit card pins and credit card numbers, but criminals are often lurking where you least expect it. While making purchases in retail establishments, it’s important to cover the machine when you’re inputting your pin, the person right behind you or next to you can steal your pin number by simply watching and memorizing the number.

Shipping Scams

Online shopping has made holiday gift purchasing much easier and faster, but with that comes the increased risk of fraud. Shipping scammers will intercept packages by stealing your purchase information, contacting the seller and changing the shipping address.

Fake Product Scams

Everyone’s talking about the supply chain and shortages occurring. But be aware of fake products that resemble the hottest toys or gifts this season. These counterfeit items may look like the original, but are typically cheap substitutes that do not measure up in quality of safety features.

End of Year Giving Scams

Many people have been duped by fake charities and at this time of year it’s not unusual for new ones to pop up. Be sure to research any charities you are considering donating to for end of year giving.

Online Shopping Scams

Amazing deals and discounts are common during the holidays but remember that if something seems too good to be true, it usually is. Be sure to shop on trusted sites and be aware of suspicious emails that contain links to holiday deals. Spoofed sites often look legitimate, so it’s best never to click on any links but instead go directly to the website you want to shop on.

All Points Mobile Shredding can help you protect your ID by providing secure shredding and destruction of all unwanted, unneeded and expired documents and paperwork. We are a family owned and operated company located in Stuart, Florida serving South Florida businesses and residents. Give us a call today or fill out this form to learn more.