Holidays ripe for scammers
Scams – Holiday scams
MARYVILLE, Mo. — As the holidays begin to arrive with bells on, scammers abound, prepared to swindle shoppers out of their money in ways that appear to grow more plentiful by the season.
According to a recent post by the FBI, “Scammers do not take the holidays off.”
SERIES INFORMATION
This is Part 11 of The Forum’s yearlong series about scams. With the ever-evolving nature of scams, new AI tech and faster communication, people of Nodaway County and northwest Missouri are falling victim, losing more than a million dollars to scams over the past five years.
The Forum is diving into the specifics of some of the most prevalent scam types being used in Nodaway County today, red flags to look out for and what local law enforcement, businesses and financial institutions are doing to stop the scams before they happen.
Find the previous stories at maryvilleforum.com/news/scams.
The bureau warns online shoppers to be wary of too-good-to-be-true ads promising expensive goods at low prices.
“Scammers can create websites that promise good deals, but in reality, they will only steal your financial information and money,” the FBI stated. “The goods they promised and you paid for, will never be delivered.”
The department asks anyone who has fallen victim to a scam to report it to the FBI at IC3.gov.
However, it is not only the FBI warning people of holiday scams, the Better Business Bureau is also working to help people during the giving-focused holiday season.
Releasing its 2024 update to its ongoing study regarding online fraud, the BBB said that with more than $240 billion in U.S. online sales and almost $15 billion in holiday retail expected in Canada, scammers are ready to pounce on unsuspecting shoppers across North America by using fake advertisements and offering discounts too deep to be true on hard-to-find, popular items.
Since 2021, the BBB has been studying online theft on a massive scale and the role of social media, according to the BBB.org website. It has found that reports are up more than 125 percent from last year, in part driven by items popular on social media, such as beauty products and viral sensations.
Through June of this year, 19,308 reports had been filed where the median loss of money was $78.
“While an individual’s loss in an online purchase scam is often lower than other more costly scams such as investment fraud, the sum of all losses totals nearly $400 million, according to 376,830 reports received in 2023 by the Federal Trade Commission,” the BBB notes.
Locally, people are still falling for these scams. Detective Sgt. Ryan Glidden with the Maryville Police Department previously told The Forum, “If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.”
BBB TIP: ONLINE SHOPPING SCAM REMINDERS
Online purchase scam red flags
- Items offered at a deep discount
- Deals too good to be true
- Popular items sold by unknown retailer
- Seller asks for payment through a payment app
- Unprofessional web pages
- Long shipping windows
BBB tips to avoid online purchase scams
- Research a seller before purchasing
- Compare item to a trusted retailer’s prices and shipping windows
- Don’t trust a social media advertisement outright
- Be extra alert when buying a viral item
- Avoid sales offering multiple items for the price of one
- Use a credit card
Where to report
- Better Business Bureau or BBB Scam Tracker
- Federal Trade Commission or call 877-FTC-Help
- Identity Theft Resource Center or 888-400-5530
SOURCE: BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU
Charity
During the holiday season many people are prepared to open their pocketbooks to help others. The American Association of Retired Persons is warning that scammers are on the lookout for any way to take advantage of consumers and donors.
The organization published the findings of its new phone and online survey of nearly 1,900 adults in the United States, with more than 82 percent reporting they’ve encountered some kind of fraudulent activity.
“When it comes to charitable giving, 55 percent of respondents report donating money in the past year,” the report states. “While 35 percent say they get seemingly fake requests, 6 in 10 Americans acknowledge they don’t always research an organization before contributing.”
In its call for action the AARP said the vast majority of U.S. consumers age 18- plus across the political spectrum believe lawmakers need to do more to protect the public from fraud.
Gift cards
Gift cards are often seen as a simple solution for the hard-to-buy-for friends and family, but AARP warns this gift, too, can be scammed.
Scammers can tamper with gift cards on store racks recording the numbers and stealing the funds when the card is activated.
According to the AARP report, 69 percent of Americans (up from 59 percent last year) plan to buy gift cards.
It’s a growing problem — the AARP said nearly one-third of adults surveyed report either giving or getting a gift card with no balance, compared to 21 percent in 2021.
According to the AARP, many people surveyed said they worked with retailers to restore some funds. Yet another way to make sure a person gets a gift is to shop locally and give gift certificates from trusted retailers.
Shipping
Matt Gaarder, owner of Rapid Elite, said that his business, like all shipping services, will see an increase in shipping during the holiday season. Starting the week before Thanksgiving and lasting until after New Year’s Day, people sending gifts or returning gifts for something else will be utilizing the shipping system heavily.
“The holidays, when you’re talking about scams, we’re always on higher alert, because of two things,” he said. “People are in more of a giving mood and people are so busy that sometimes they’re just trying to get through stuff and quick. They don’t always think through it.”
Gaarder and his staff have caught several scams during the year, but will find a few more during this time of year.
“The only suggestion I would have is just make sure you’re shipping to people you know,” he said. “People you have met in person, like family and friends. If it’s somebody you’ve never seen face-to-face, I would be a little leery.”
Gaarder said that it’s not that people shouldn’t do that, just that they should be aware and start thinking about who this person is. Start asking questions.
“If you’re requested to send cash, like to a family member or something like that, a check is going to be fine,” he said. “And it’s safer. You should never send cash. And if somebody that you haven’t met face-to-face is asking you for cash or gift cards, or something out of the ordinary, the question should just stop there and say ‘Nope, this can’t happen.’”
