SAN ANTONIO — The number of holiday and travel scams tend to rise during the last few months of the year. Here are things you can do to keep your Christmas scam free.
In the last three months of 2023 reports of travel scams to the Federal Trade Commission tallied $43 million in losses, almost doubled from the year before.
Jason Meza, the San Antonio Better Business Bureau spokesperson told us, “There is all kind of deals out there, but there’s also a good chance that you might fall into a scam or scheme.”
So what are some of the top scams you need to avoid?
“The last quarter, we do see travel go up, just the incidents of travel. But travel fraud kind of moves in the same direction as that,” Meza said.
AARP says to remember these holiday scam tips:
- Watch for websites, ads, and deals that include spelling errors or shoddy grammar.
- Be skeptical of charities that pressure you to donate right away.
- Visit websites directly through their web address instead of clicking links from suspicious text messages and emails.
- Avoid conducting business online using Public Wi-Fi.
- Only buy gift cards from behind the counter.
“Get registered at the register where you can verify that it’s a good card and there’s funds available for you to give,” Meza said.
Another scam that is exploding is a QR brushing scam. Scammers send a package to your home or work with no return address, but it does have a QR code on the outside or inside. The code directs you to a phishing website which asks for personal details, and if you give those up, you’ve been scammed and your info is exposed.
QR Code Developer offers tips to help decide if a QR code is a scam:
- Bounce your credit checks
- Check your credit reports just to ensure that there’s not a data breach
If you or someone you know has been a victim of a scam report it to the BBB Scam Tracker.