‘Tis the season for online scammers to steal your personal information. This year, scams are at an all-time high as more consumers turn to e-commerce for their holiday shopping. According to the Better Business Bureau, online scams are 55% more prevalent than scam calls or texts, and experts say the fraudsters are more sophisticated than ever.
“I think in years past you had a person sitting in their parents’ basement, maybe with a hoodie. Things have changed dramatically. It is an organized crime,” Tami Hudson, executive vice president and cybersecurity client officer at Wells Fargo, told ABC News.
Packages move on a conveyer belt at the Amazon AGS5 sort facility on Oct. 27, 2022 in Appling, Ga. Amazon, the leading United States retail e-commerce company is preparing for the busy winter holiday season and plans to hire 150,000 full-time, seasonal and part-time workers to fulfill orders.
Sean Rayford/Getty Images
Social media is considered a gold mine for scammers, so consumers need to be especially wary of targeted ads on their social media feeds, in emails or text messages that contain suspicious links.
“Go to the website of that retailer, that bank, that company that you want to do business with,” Hudson said. “Pick up the phone and call the number on that website. Ensure that it is a legitimate site.”
Hudson says fraudsters will often create a sense of urgency, saying there’s a problem with your purchase and asking you to wire them money or use a link to a…
