Last year, over $309 million was lost to fraud involving non-delivery or non-payment. The FBI warned American shoppers to stay vigilant against scams during the holiday shopping season, as thousands fall victim to fraud each year during this period.
“Don’t let #holiday excitement cloud your judgment! Always verify the legitimacy of online retailers and be cautious with unsolicited offers,” the agency advised in a social media post on Nov. 29. The FBI emphasized the importance of being wary of deals that seem too good to be true, as scammers can rob individuals of money, personal information, and a festive mood.
The FBI highlighted common scams to watch out for, including non-delivery frauds where consumers don’t receive products they paid for, auction frauds where shipped products differ from what was ordered, and cases where online sellers are scammed by buyers who skip payments.
According to a 2023 report from the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), citizens lost over $309 million to non-payment and non-delivery fraud last year, with credit card and check fraud accounting for more than $173 million in losses.
“The IC3 receives a large volume of complaints in the early months of each year, indicating a correlation with the previous holiday season’s shopping scams,” noted an FBI field office.
More than 183 million Americans are expected to shop online and in-store between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday this year, with Black Friday and Cyber Monday being the most popular shopping days. Attorneys general from various states have also issued warnings to customers to beware of holiday scams.
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen cautioned against using gift cards or wire transfers for payments, as those requesting such payments are likely scammers. California Attorney General Rob Bonta warned of “gift card draining” scams, where bad actors record pin numbers from unpurchased gift cards to make unauthorized purchases once the cards are bought by unsuspecting consumers.
Protection From Scams
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) advised Americans to be cautious of unusually low prices, avoid clicking on ads that could lead to scam sites, and conduct research before making purchases. The FTC recommended paying by credit card for added protections, checking the terms of the sale, and practicing good cybersecurity hygiene when shopping online.
The FBI also urged customers to be cautious of sellers who claim to be in the U.S. but provide excuses for being out of the country, and to avoid deals that seem too good to be true. All complaints are documented in the agency’s Consumer Sentinel database, accessible to law enforcement nationwide, with case reports shared with over 2,800 law enforcement partners.
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