这是一年中最美好的时光! The holiday season is fast approaching and that means that the holiday shopping season is in full swing.

Whether you are looking for those perfect gifts for the people in your life or donating to a charity to assist those who aren’t as fortunate during this time, 假期增加了全国的消费.

随着这种增长，欺诈的风险也随之增加, with scammers seeing this time as a prime opportunity to prey upon unsuspecting shoppers or donors who might be too distracted by the chaos of the holidays to notice that they are falling for a scam.

诈骗在我们的日常生活中很普遍, 但根据环联的一份报告, the number of suspected e-commerce fraud attempts during the 2021 holiday shopping season saw a 25% increase over the 15.在1月1日至11月29日期间观察到73%的欺诈企图.¹

假日期间的诈骗案件激增, it is important to stay vigilant when shopping or giving both offline and online and understand what to look for to protect yourself from falling victim to holiday fraud. Knowing how to spot these scams and what to do if you happen to experience one is the best defense in keeping your holiday shopping experience merry and bright.

礼品卡诈骗

礼品卡是节日期间赠送的一种简单方便的物品, especially when you don’t know what someone wants or needs or can’t think of anything specific to get them. 根据全国零售联合会的说法, 在过去的14年里，礼品卡一直是美国最受欢迎的礼物.²

今年看来这一趋势将继续下去, 黑鹰网络, 全球品牌支付提供商, 预计今年假日季礼品卡消费将增长27%.³

需求如此之高, 很容易理解为什么礼品卡是假日诈骗的主要手段之一, with around one in four people who have reported fraud to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) saying that they paid with a gift card.³

One of the most important things to look for when purchasing a gift card is to make sure that it hasn’t been tampered with. 检查PIN码，确保它仍然被原来的涂层覆盖. 骗子可以窃取密码和卡号，当你往卡上存钱时, 他们可以把钱存入自己的账户.⁴

另一个需要仔细检查的地方是条形码. Scammers will cover the original barcode with a sticker of their own barcode so when you add money, 它会直接把钱送到骗子的卡上.⁴

Other ways to combat gift card fraud include taking cards from the middle of the peg or purchasing cards from behind the register; making sure that your receipt matches the number on the gift card; and purchasing gift cards directly from the retailer or in stores rather than online. In 2021, 这是由波多报道的, 一家专门寻找虚假网站的科技公司, 他们看到了超过152个,围绕礼品卡诈骗建立的虚假网站多达5000个. 这是他们在2020年看到的五倍多.⁵

慈善机构欺诈

节日不仅是送礼物给别人惊喜的好时机, but it’s a time to give back and have opportunities to help by donating your time and money to charities that assist the people who need it the most.

美国节日期间最大的慈善活动之一是“周二捐赠”, 哪个是感恩节后的星期二. 从2012年开始，作为向慈善机构奉献时间和金钱的日子, “周二捐赠”活动已经取得了巨大的成功. 2021年关于该事件的一份报告称，近2亿美元.在2020年的这一天，美国捐赠了50亿美元.⁶

虽然这种慷慨是伟大的看到, some scammers have taken notice of this and will disguise themselves as charities to take your money for their personal gain.

首先要了解的是该组织希望你捐赠什么以及如何捐赠. 如果一个组织要求以礼品卡的形式捐款，请谨慎, 电汇, 或者直接付现金.

Reputable organizations will not be this upfront about how they want you to donate and will not ask for gift cards or 电汇. If you see anything asking you for a monetary donation in a specific manner, do not interact with it.⁶

下一个, do not rush into donating just because you feel that you need to act quickly or are required to donate on Giving Tuesday specifically. The Better 业务 Bureau (BBB) advises that organizations are going to take your donation no matter when you choose to donate. Do not trust any organization that offers time-specific perks or benefits for donating within a certain timeframe. 如果你觉得有压力，不要着急.⁶

最后，确保你对你想要支持的组织做了调查. Most organizations will have a website where you can view their mission statement and what your donations will go toward. BBB和IRS允许您搜索组织以确定其有效性. 你可以查看国家慈善官员协会的网站, 许多慈善机构必须在哪里注册.⁶ 你也可以查看慈善导航, 一个根据慈善机构的财务状况来评估他们的非营利组织, 问责制, 和透明度.³

其他形式的假日欺诈

而礼品卡诈骗和慈善诈骗是节日期间最突出的诈骗行为, 这个季节需要注意的其他形式的节日欺诈包括:

• 包裹投递诈骗: Online shopping is becoming the main form of holiday shopping and packages are constantly being delivered by companies such as Amazon, 美国邮政管理局, 联邦快递, 和联合包裹. Scammers try to take advantage of this by pretending to be a delivery company and attempting to get you to click on a malicious link to steal your personal information.
  
  Watch out for texts or emails from any delivery company telling you that your package has been delivered, 有问题, 或者是少了一笔付款. 检查消息是否有拼写错误或奇怪的措辞. 如果你不确定和担心，直接联系快递公司.^{3, 5}
• 金钱应用诈骗: 对于一些, 而不是买特别的礼物, 他们只会寄钱给他们的朋友或家人，这样他们就可以买他们想要的东西. This has become easier than ever before with the introduction of third-party money-transferring apps such as Cash App, Venmo, 或者我们在元素的合作伙伴, Zelle^®. 因为这些应用程序与你的借记卡或银行账户相连, 他们通常全年都是骗子的目标.
  
  Never use your money app to pay for merchandise during the holidays and be wary of sites that only accept payment through these apps. 因为这些是第三方系统，而不是真正的金融机构, 如果你做了一笔交易，结果证明是骗局, 你不太可能拿回那笔钱. Also, never give any passcodes out or give access to your account on these apps to anyone. If you receive a text or call from what appears to be your financial institution and they ask for this info, 不要给他们，尽快联系你的信用合作社或银行.^{7, 8}

如果我觉得自己被骗了怎么办?

如果你觉得自己被骗了, it is important to take the necessary actions to limit the damages caused and to protect yourself from any more issues that could be faced.

• 立即与您的信用社或银行联系: 如果你给骗子寄了钱或账户信息, 打电话给你的金融机构，让他们知道你经历了欺诈. 询问交易是否已经被取消, 你可以对付款提出异议，努力拿回你的钱.³
• 向联邦贸易委员会投诉: Let the FTC know about the scam that you have experienced via a complaint to inform them of what is going on. 这将使他们能够保护其他人免受同样的骗局. The FTC will provide you with the proper steps to take to potentially get your money back.³
• 冻结你的信用报告: Scams that steal your personal information and not just your money can be dangerous when it comes to your credit reports. If you feel that your personal information was stolen, freeze your credit reports immediately. 这样做将阻止骗子使用你的信息开设任何账户, 哪些会影响你的信用评分.³

有疑问或需要报告可疑活动? 我们的信用合作社专家随时为您服务. 联系利记app官网，全年为欺诈提供支持. 元素全体员工祝您度过一个安全、健康、快乐的假期!

_来源:

_{1) TransUnion, "Suspected E-Commerce 欺诈 Attempt 利率 Between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday Increase 25% Compared to the Rest of the Year"}

_{2)零售礼品卡协会; 安全礼物小贴士.org)}

_{3)《利记》, 要小心的5个假日骗局——福布斯顾问}

_{4) abc7 y; Holiday shopping: Simple tips to avoid gift card scams from 7 On Your Side - ABC7 New York (abc7ny.com)}

_{5) kare 11; 本季假日购物骗局要小心了.com}

_{6)《利记》 周二捐赠:小心慈善诈骗:今日科技谈话播客.com)}

_{7) Zelle，“自付骗局”营销广告}

_{WFMY 新闻 2; 现金应用并不是假日购物的最佳支付方式.com}