Beware Of Online Scams Before The Holidays
Dec 9, 2020, 8:43 AM
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The scammers are out in full force this holiday season looking to dupe consumers into giving them their hard-earned cash and personal information.
How does it keep happening, though?
“People click on things and don’t think ahead of time,” said FBI Special Agent Casey Harrington in Salt Lake City.
He said consumers need to think about what they’re clicking on and plan on receiving phishing emails and bogus posts that attempt to get users to click dangerous links.
Social media is the preferred playground for so many of those bad actors.
“Redirecting from social media to fraudulent websites, or pop-up ads offering free items or gift cards, or asking you to take a quiz or a survey – those are the types of things we see that lead to fraud,” Harrington said.
The Federal Trade Commission reported that in the first half of 2020, a quarter of the more than 43,000 claims of undelivered online purchases originated on social media pages. These purchases likely came from bogus companies or fraudsters stealing directly from consumers.
The local division of the FBI is urging consumers to take the following precautions:
- Don’t click on suspicious links
- Don’t answer unsolicited emails
- Be patient and aware