AARP and the Colorado State Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division (CPD) held a November webinar on Avoiding Holiday Scams. Webinar hosts included AARP’s Mark Fetterhoff and CPD’s Jan Zavislan. Mark and Jan explained the ElderWatch program as funded by the CO state and AARP, which helps AARP members and the public with education and reporting of frauds and scams.
The Colorado ElderWatch program receives over 400 scam related calls per month. Mark stressed that scammers ramp up their activity during the holidays as millions of dollars are at risk with the public and especially people over 50 years old being more susceptible.
According to a recent AARP scam survey, 63% of AARP members plan to shop online, while 56% plan to use their smartphone to shop online. Over 60% are concerned their personal info will be hacked.
Jan provided these holiday shopping tips:
1) update your computer or smartphone operating systems and anti-virus software often,
2) public Wi-Fi systems should NOT be used for online shopping or for any financial transactions,
3) shop only with reputable and known merchants,
4) use only retailers with secured (padlock icon at beginning of address) websites,
5) avoid email solicitations or telemarketers on offers that seem to be too good to be true,
6) read product or service reviews and do price comparisons,
7) understand the return policy,
8) keep all gift receipts for possible returns,
9) keep shopping bags or packages in a trunk of your car and NOT inside the car for best anti-theft protection, and
10) Be cautious of large crowds in a mall or stadiums due to pickpockets.
Both hosts indicated the increasing holiday gift card scams. Be aware of possible exposed or damaged gift cards. Gift cards can be easily hacked if the PIN numbers have been exposed. Be suspect of gift card racks at shopping malls and even at grocery stores or other retailers. Gift cards are a large market for shoppers and scammers. 59% of AARP members bought gift cards last year and it’s expected over 67% will buy them this year for their holiday shopping. Ironically, 13% found no money after receiving the card. Gift cards are NOT meant for paying bills or taxes!
Stolen packages are another scam to be aware of during the holiday season.54% of members plan to ship holiday packages using the Post office, UPS, or FedEx. 22% of members had their holiday packages stolen last year. Unfortunately, thieves follow Post Office, UPS, and FedEx delivery trucks on their routes and steal the packages after the home delivery.
Jan had these shipping package tips:
1) track your package and require signatures if it’s a costly product,
2) ship packages to a person’s work place or a neighbor who is at home during the day, and
3) avoid fake shipping phishing notices via email or text looking for personal or financial info. Think about using the popular Ring video doorbell as it helps to thwart thieves.
Holiday donation scams are also increasing, so be aware of fake calls by ruthless telemarketers representing fake companies asking for donations. National law enforcement related companies should be avoided. Many of these charities only give less than 5% to the law enforcement agencies. Professional organizations are required to register with the state, and you can check with the state attorney general’s office or Better Business Bureau or their websites for approved donation charities. Always ask the telemarketer how much is given to the organization they are representing and who is receiving the donation. Hang up if you don’t like their answers!
Interestingly, over 85% of members received requests for donations, while 63% have donated in the last 12 months. 37% actually research the charity while 19% do NOT!
Donation tips:
1) consider using BBB Charity tracker at www.give.org or www.charitynavigator.org for checking bona fide charities,
2) avoid unsolicited donation requests by telephone, email, test, or pop-up ads on your computer
3) avoid high pressure calls and hang up,
4) do your research with the above charity tracker websites,
5) ask sensitive questions with telemarketers, and
6) use www.ColoradoGivesDay.org website that has approved charities listed during the holiday season.
The Colorado State Attorney’s office has a Consumer Holiday Guide and other guides for more scammer and fraud tips that can be shown from their website at Colorado Attorney General’s Fraud Website for more information. Be safe and use caution during the holiday season!