Holiday Fraud Threats

Though every year is slightly different, there tend to be similar fraud patterns each holiday season. Fraudsters make extra efforts to trick and defraud consumers. Here are the top three fraud threats coming this holiday season.

1. Fake Retail Sites:

What to watch out for: Domain name and/or website copy contains misspellings, IP address is non-U.S., website doesn’t have a HTTPS (secured) URL, or generally looks off.

2. Mystery Shopping:

Everyone is looking to pick up a little extra cash this time of year. Mystery shopping scams (or secret shopping scams) take advantage of that by creating fake job opportunities where they ‘test’ products and services, but are first required to pay the employer for a fee or license. In reality the job doesn’t actually exist.

3. Charity Scams:

Charity scams take advantage of our generosity. Fraudsters pose as a charitable organization and steal donations before they’re discovered.

What to watch out for: High-pressure pitches through phone, email or in-person; to donate, go to accredited charities.

Believe you’ve become a victim of a fraudulent charge? 

Notify MIT FCU by calling our main line number 781-423-2022.