While Baltimore-area residents are drinking eggnog, sharing gifts, and generally making merry, a devoted number of cybercriminals are hard at work trying to make them miserable.
But the city’s local FBI office is sharing ways consumers can protect themselves from scams this holiday season.
“Fraud and scams are a year-around operation,” said Supervisory Special Agent Keith Custer. “These guys don’t stop or slow down really.”
Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski advised checking card statements routinely during and after the holidays, as many fraudulent charges don’t show up for weeks.
Consumers should secure credit card accounts, even rewards accounts, with strong passwords and change those passwords routinely. They should also only donate to known and trusted charities.
Online shopping scams
When shopping online, make sure the website you are purchasing from belongs to a reputable seller.
“The Internet Crime Complaint Center categorizes these types of frauds as either nonpayment or nondelivery,” Custer said. “When a consumer goes to a website to order a product, it’s either a fake website or it’s a disreputable merchant and the product never arrives. By loss amount, that is where consumers are hit the hardest.”
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