The holiday season brings an increase in scams as online shopping and financial activity rise. Criminals take advantage of higher transaction volumes and evolving tactics to target consumers, making it more important than ever to stay alert.
Common Holiday Scams to Watch For
Online shopping and digital payments create openings for fraudsters. Some of the most common scams during this time include phishing emails, fake shipping notifications, account-takeover attempts, non-delivery scams, check fraud, and peer-to-peer payment scams involving apps like Zelle, Venmo, or PayPal. Fraud also increases when return and refund policies are misused or when scammers impersonate banks, retailers, or even family members.
How to Protect Yourself
You can reduce your risk by verifying messages before responding, avoiding links from unknown senders, and never sharing personal or account information unless you are sure of the source. Turn on account alerts, use multifactor authentication, and monitor your accounts regularly for unusual activity.
Staying informed is the best defense. If you have questions or need help protecting your account, call us at 202-863-2800.
