WASHINGTON D.C., Dec. 5, 2022 — It’s that time of year again, when Federal Bureau of Investigation and Christmas can turn up in the same sentence.
The FBI has released an extensive list of advice and tips on avoiding “internet-enabled” crime for holiday shoppers. They even included a poem, as well as a 7-minute podcast.
“The two most prevalent of these holiday scams are non-delivery and non-payment crimes,” the bureau advised this week. “In a non-delivery scam, a buyer pays for goods or services they find online, but those items are never received. Conversely, a non-payment scam involves goods or services being shipped, but the seller is never paid.”
According to the bureau’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (1C3) report for last year, non-payment or non-delivery scams cost people more than $337 million, the FBI said. Credit card fraud accounted for another $173 million in losses. The figures for 2019 were $196 million and $100 million respectively.
The agency advises those who are suspicious of, or scammed by, online offers to contact their credit card company, local law enforcement, and the FBI at 1c3.gov.
Tips include never opening links on unsolicited emails, avoiding sites which lack “https” in their address, never pay for items with gift cards, and for any sellers seeking too much personal or credit card detail, call or email via whatever contact information is available on a site.
For the full list of tips and advice: https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/safety-resources/scams-and-safety/common-scams-and-crimes/holiday-scams
And the FBI holiday-alert poetry goes as follows:
‘Twas the holiday season, when all through the land,
online shoppers clicked quickly to get gifts in hand.
But while they were adding treats and toys to their carts,
a holiday scammer was practicing his art.
“Free gift cards! Free presents! Just follow this link!”
He hoped hurried shoppers would not stop and think.
But one savvy shopper saw the email and knew:
“This is a scam! It’s too good to be true!”
To the IC3 the shopper reported the crime,
and that holiday scammer is now doing time.
We worked with our partners to solve this case,
but remember — your tips help keep us all safe!
