Consumer advocates want holiday shoppers and philanthropists to keep an eye out for scams during the holiday season.
The Better Business Bureau of Central Oklahoma says this time of year they see an uptick in things like websites that appear to be for legitimate companies.
The organization’s president and CEO Kitt Letcher says online shoppers will also receive fake shipping notifications with an attachment or a link to install malicious software on a computer.
“If you didn’t send them an email, if you did not make a phone call to them requesting information, and all of a sudden they’re calling you and they’re asking for different things, that should be a red flag that this is a little bit deceptive or it should be just unusual or suspicious,” Letcher said.
She says it’s also possible fake delivery workers will show up at a person’s door.
“Then they ask for information, as far as your name, your address, your date-of-birth,” Letcher said. “And with that, you’ve given them a lot of really important information that they can then use for identity theft.”
She also warns against unsolicited emails, and requests for unusual forms of payment, like prepaid debt cards or wire transfers. Both the Federal Trade Commission and the Oklahoma Attorney General’s Public Protection Unit resolve complaints against businesses accused of scams or fraud.
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