While we are enjoying this season with friends and family, remember, scammers never take a holiday. As a matter of fact, there is often an uptick of holiday scams during this time of year.
The Denver District Attorney’s Office is sending along their yearly 12 Days of Holiday Scams list with updated warnings and tips. The scams listed continue to be top on fraudsters shopping list. Click on each scam to learn more!
12. Fake Emails
11. Romance Scams
10. Kidnapping Scams
9. ATM Skimmers
7. Hoax Shipping Notifications
5. Facebook Gift Exchange Hoaxes
There are a few more end-of-the-year tips and to-dos to keep your online presence safe:
1. Change all your passwords. And no, it is still not ok to use the same password for all your online sites.
2. If you have not done so already, go to Your Annual Report to get all three of your FREE credit reports before the end of the year. Getting these reports is a great way to see if there has been any unusual activity on your accounts. Also, make sure to check your children’s credit report. Children 18 years and younger are the fastest growing cohort that have their identity stolen. For an additional level of security, you may want to consider freezing your children’s accounts until they turn 18. Annualcreditreport.com is the only official FREE credit report company. Do not use any other free annual reporting site!
3. Just in time for holiday travel, this scam warning just came across my desk. Do not use any USB charging stations at the airport. Cybercriminals can modify those USB connections to install malware on your phone or download data without your knowledge.
4. Check out our Twitter and Facebook pages to see the latest scams every Friday Fraud Day.
On behalf of the more than 200 people in their office, the Denver District Attorney wishes you all a very safe, healthy and happy holiday season!