Don't Get Scrooged
With the holidays upon us, it’s worth remembering that the season of giving can also be the season of taking. Unfortunately, the magic of Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa is lost on con artists, who are always looking for opportunities to fleece an unsuspecting public. With that in mind, here are two holiday scams in wide circulation, along with tips for avoiding them.
Rocks in a box: Someone approaches you with an iPad that he’s selling for $300. You examine it. It looks great. The price is right. You hand over the cash and walk away with a new, sealed Apple box. It’s not till you get home and open the box that you find it’s filled with…rocks. Or potatoes. Or magnets. Big-ticket items are popular for the rocks in a box swindle because they are usually so expensive and are offered at prices that are hard to resist.
How to protect yourself:
Don’t buy on the street. Genuine deals are generally not to be found on the sidewalk. Buying from an established retail outlet doesn’t guarantee that you will get what you pay for, but at least then you have the protection of warranties, returns and exchanges.
Open the box. This applies to store purchases as well. Have you heard the one about the shopper who bought a Nintendo DS from a well-known big box retailer and took it home only to find the box was filled with river stones? Open the box at the store in front of a store employee to confirm that what’s inside is what’s supposed to be there.
Alert the authorities. Don’t forget that if you are buying a real product on the street, there’s a good chance that it’s stolen. And if you buy something that you suspect is stolen? You’re participating in an illegal activity. Here’s a good test for any scam. If a stranger comes up to you on the street with an offer or a story, offer to call the police and see how quickly they scuttle.
Charity cons: An estimated 70 to 80 percent of U.S. households contribute to charities. If you are one of these donors, congratulations. Charitable giving is a wonderful and generous act, but there is no shortage of bogus charities seeking to capitalize on your kindness. Fake charities can look and sound legitimate. They can have slick websites or a bank of telemarketers or even a table outside your grocery store. Con artists have even been known to (falsely) claim that their children are terminally ill in order to raise funds for their personal use.
How to protect yourself:
Do not donate over the phone. Legitimate charities have numerous ways of receiving donations. There is no need to give over the phone and many reasons not to.
Do not respond to unsolicited emails or click on links in emails. Even genuine-looking links can take you to suspicious websites. If you want to visit a website, do so through Google. Initiate the action yourself.
Give prudently. There are countless worthwhile causes that could use your donation. To make sure your gift is getting to the right people, check with the Better Business Bureau or Guidestar to see if the charity in question is genuine.
Once you know what to look for, avoiding scams can be as instinctive as putting on a seatbelt. Skepticism is a powerful tool. Exercise it often and have a safe and happy holiday season!
For more on scams and how to protect yourself, visit www.scamfu.com or pick up a copy of The Con: How Scams Work, Why You're Vulnerable, and How to Protect Yourself.
Rocks in a box: Someone approaches you with an iPad that he’s selling for $300. You examine it. It looks great. The price is right. You hand over the cash and walk away with a new, sealed Apple box. It’s not till you get home and open the box that you find it’s filled with…rocks. Or potatoes. Or magnets. Big-ticket items are popular for the rocks in a box swindle because they are usually so expensive and are offered at prices that are hard to resist.
How to protect yourself:
Don’t buy on the street. Genuine deals are generally not to be found on the sidewalk. Buying from an established retail outlet doesn’t guarantee that you will get what you pay for, but at least then you have the protection of warranties, returns and exchanges.
Open the box. This applies to store purchases as well. Have you heard the one about the shopper who bought a Nintendo DS from a well-known big box retailer and took it home only to find the box was filled with river stones? Open the box at the store in front of a store employee to confirm that what’s inside is what’s supposed to be there.
Alert the authorities. Don’t forget that if you are buying a real product on the street, there’s a good chance that it’s stolen. And if you buy something that you suspect is stolen? You’re participating in an illegal activity. Here’s a good test for any scam. If a stranger comes up to you on the street with an offer or a story, offer to call the police and see how quickly they scuttle.
Charity cons: An estimated 70 to 80 percent of U.S. households contribute to charities. If you are one of these donors, congratulations. Charitable giving is a wonderful and generous act, but there is no shortage of bogus charities seeking to capitalize on your kindness. Fake charities can look and sound legitimate. They can have slick websites or a bank of telemarketers or even a table outside your grocery store. Con artists have even been known to (falsely) claim that their children are terminally ill in order to raise funds for their personal use.
How to protect yourself:
Do not donate over the phone. Legitimate charities have numerous ways of receiving donations. There is no need to give over the phone and many reasons not to.
Do not respond to unsolicited emails or click on links in emails. Even genuine-looking links can take you to suspicious websites. If you want to visit a website, do so through Google. Initiate the action yourself.
Give prudently. There are countless worthwhile causes that could use your donation. To make sure your gift is getting to the right people, check with the Better Business Bureau or Guidestar to see if the charity in question is genuine.
Once you know what to look for, avoiding scams can be as instinctive as putting on a seatbelt. Skepticism is a powerful tool. Exercise it often and have a safe and happy holiday season!
For more on scams and how to protect yourself, visit www.scamfu.com or pick up a copy of The Con: How Scams Work, Why You're Vulnerable, and How to Protect Yourself.
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