Online scams on holiday: 5 things you should avoid

Holiday internet scams are increasingly common.

According to the FBI, thousands of people fall victim to holiday scams every year. The two most widespread frauds are non-delivery and non-payment crimes.

In a no-delivery scam, a buyer pays for goods or services they find online, but those goods are never received. Alternatively, non-payment fraud involves goods or services being shipped – but the seller never gets paid.

According to the Internet Crime Complaint Center’s (IC3) 2021 report, non-payment or non-delivery fraud costs people more than $337 million.

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In addition, the agency said credit card fraud accounted for an additional $173 million in losses.

Another scam to watch out for is auction scams, where a product is misrepresented on an auction site, as well as gift card scams.

Here’s a look at five cyber scams to watch out for this year, according to Norton.

Close-up of a businessman working at a desk with a smartphone and laptop, taken on January 31, 2019.
((Photo by Neil Godwin/Future via Getty Images))

Click on fake order links

Hackers will impersonate major retailers and share links that indicate something is wrong with your order.

Support non-existing charities

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Double check the organizations you give money to before making any donations.

DALLAS, TX – SEPTEMBER 21, 2017: A woman uses her smartphone while waiting to board a flight at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.
((Photo by Robert Alexander/Getty Images))

Shop on fake websites

Be wary of incredibly low offers and suspicious-looking websites.

Use of gift cards for purchases

Cybercriminals acting as sellers often suggest gift cards as a method of payment. They can request an electronic version of the card, and once they have this information, they will use it to buy whatever they want with the gift card. Stick to credit card purchases.

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Do not use Wi-Fi at the airport

Instead of using airport Wi-Fi, keep your business and yourself safe by sticking to password-protected services.