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The holiday season is officially upon us which also means it’s time to reflect. In Charles Dickens’ novella, A Christmas Carol, the ghost of Christmas Past represents the mind and its memories, the ghost of Christmas Present represents generosity, empathy and Christmas spirit while the ghost of Christmas Yet to Come represents the fear of death or moral reckoning.

Let’s take a page out of Dickens’ playbook and look at the ghosts of holiday scams past, present and future.

The Ghost of Holiday Scams Past

The Ghost of Holiday Scams Past presents itself as something familiar. We’ve seen it before and it’s important that we remember what the consequences were for those types of scams.

Some of the more familiar scams of holidays past include fraudulent charities, social media ads linking to fake websites or even impersonation of well-known brands. Of course, the biggest repercussion of scams of any kind can be the loss of the funds transmitted. However, the other impacts often include a loss of trust in reputable brands or individuals trying to do good deeds each holiday season.

Rather than letting scammers get you down, focus on what you can do in the present to protect yourself and your funds.

The Ghost of Holiday Scams Present

The Ghost of Holiday Scams Present lurks on our holiday spirit and generosity. Let’s shift our focus to how we can protect and maintain our holiday spirit and generosity. When donating to a charity, we should exercise caution, whether you’re the donator or the charity itself.

One way to ensure legitimacy before donating would be to check the URL or use the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance or Charity Navigator. For any GoFundMe campaigns, you should consider researching the campaign manager before submitting the donation.

If you’re part of a charitable organization accepting donations, consider how you advertise for donations. Perhaps your social media pages could include a secure link to your landing page for donations or try to use a clear path to your donation pages. This is just one example of how to protect ourselves both from the consumer and non-consumer perspective so that we can maintain our charitable spirit all season long.

The Ghost of Holiday Scams Yet to Come

The Ghost of Holiday Scams Yet to Come focuses on our fear of the unknown. However, we are going to focus on what we can practice today and implement in the future to reduce our fear of the things yet to come. Here are a few tips:

• Practice good cybersecurity by not clicking on links in ads or in emails from unfamiliar senders.
• Pay especially close attention to anyone requesting you to update information. If an entity is asking you to update information via email or a text, look up their contact information on your own and call them directly. If you are an entity needing to obtain updated information, consider how you are requesting the information from your consumer. Make sure you send them notices in advance or consider confirming information on file when they call in.
• When online shopping, stay safe by confirming the URL contains an “https” address.
• When buying from a seller online, check their feedback rating from others. This information can usually be found through a Google search. If it isn’t, that may be a red flag. If you are an online merchant, consider offering incentives to ensure you are receiving feedback that can be shared with others.
• Do not buy from sellers posing as authorized dealers in areas in which no such product or deal would be applicable.
• Be careful when purchasing from foreign countries. If the seller makes requests for specific types of shipping that would avoid customs or if the seller is listed in the U.S., but the seller states they are out of the country for business or family.
• When purchasing online consider using a credit card and monitor your statements regularly.
• Avoid purchasing with pre-paid gift cards by giving the card numbers to the seller in an unsecured manner.
• Never wire money for purchases.
• Always monitor the shipping process for items purchased. There are also scams involving fake tracking information, so be mindful of this possibility and take action if something appears off. If you’re a seller, ensure you notify the purchaser of the shipment information in a timely manner and respond to any questions promptly.
• If you’re a seller, be leery of credit card purchases in which the shipping address and the delivery address vary greatly in geographical area.
• If it seems too good to be true, it probably is!

While scams surrounding the holiday season are extremely common year after year, practicing the tips above during the present holiday scams season (and throughout the year) can save you and your organization from losing funds.

For more information regarding practices to protect you this holiday season take a look at the FBI’s holiday scams article.