One present that most people won’t want to open this year — a notice from your bank or credit card that you’ve been scammed out of money, or that your identity has been compromised. Yet the holiday season is one of the most vulnerable times of the year when people become victims of fraud.
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“Scam artists love holidays. You don’t want to become the gift that keeps on giving, which you will be if you’re targeted,” says cybersecurity expert Adam Levin who provides some helpful tips on protecting yourself during the most wonderful time of the year for digital thieves.
Levin brings 30-plus years of experience in cybercrime and fraud and is the co-founder of Credit.com, former Director of Consumer Affairs for the State of New Jersey, and host of the chart-topping podcast What the Hack with Adam Levin. He brings years of knowledge to his advice but also stays up on the latest trending scams to help people avoid falling into the traps.
As he previously shared with GOBankingRates.com, a big one this year are text alert scams, particularly those that send people a message that there was an issue with the order or delivery. Levin says, in these cases, you should never click on a link in the text message and advises it’s best to go directly to the source like UPS or FedEx to verify any issues…
