The holiday season is a busy time for shoppers and scammers alike. FBI Springfield is encouraging the public to be vigilant during the holidays to avoid scams designed to steal their money and personal information.
The two most prevalent holiday scams are non-delivery and non-payment crimes. In a non-delivery scam, a buyer pays for goods or services they find online, but those items are never received. Conversely, a non-payment scam involves goods or services being shipped, but the seller is never paid.
“Remembering the simple adage ‘If it looks too good to be true, it probably is,’ can go a long way in saving consumers from becoming victims,” said FBI Springfield Field Office Special Agent in Charge David Nanz. “Scammers are eager to take advantage of the increase in online shopping that comes with the holiday season. According to the Internet Crime Complaint Center, 649 Central and Southern Illinoisians lost $602,812 in non-payment/non-delivery schemes in 2021. This year as of October, 312 victims have lost $912,417. The bottom line is – do your homework, verify the source, and protect your personal information.”
Scammers can cleverly tailor their message to the holiday season by sending an e-mail containing a link to what looks like a great deal. However, clicking the link can download malware to your computer. This also can occur in pop-up ads on social media sites, like an ad for a free $100 gift card.
Many scams are found in links to quizzes or…
