Scams could be under your tree this holiday season

SALT LAKE CITY — Scams happen all year round. During the holidays, they can be even more prevalent. 

Scams may show up in the form of text notifications, emails and even fake websites.

“Scammers often pose as real companies online, or they make up fake companies to try to get your money or your personal information,” An attorney for the Federal Trade Commission Bobbi Tonelli said. “So, they may post fake ads on things like social media or other websites.” 

Tonelli said another prevalent scam is people sending you a message that your package can’t be delivered due to missing address information.

“Scammers will send fake package shipment and delivery notifications to try to steal your personal information. A lot of times, these messages will say that you’ve missed a delivery attempt and ask you to click on a link to reschedule or say that an item is ready to ship.”

Some scammers will even try to get people to buy gift cards to pay for fake fees. 

How to keep the scammers away?

While there is not a way to get rid of scammers, there are ways to recognize the scams.

According to Tonelli, if you receive a link in your email or text messages, don’t click it. Even if the link looks like it was sent by a trusted source.

Verify the website you are ordering from before buying anything. The Federal Trade Commission says you can find out if a website is real by confirming the physical address and phone number of the company.

According to the Federal Trade Commission, another step to take when verifying a website is to search the company’s name online with terms like review, complaint, and scam to see what people say about the company.

More information on scams and how to avoid them can be found on the Federal Trade Commission’s website.

Related:

• Online shopping safety: Are those websites fake or for real?
• Utah DMV warns about a new scam
• Don’t buy pet medication online, experts say talk to your vet instead