{"id":756,"date":"2022-12-02T07:41:33","date_gmt":"2022-12-02T07:41:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.redstarwealth.co.uk\/blog\/?p=756"},"modified":"2022-12-02T07:41:33","modified_gmt":"2022-12-02T07:41:33","slug":"scams-to-watch-out-for-this-christmas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.redstarwealth.co.uk\/blog\/scams-to-watch-out-for-this-christmas\/","title":{"rendered":"Scams to Watch out for this Christmas"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Office for National Statistics has found that 1 in 10 of us will be victims of a scam. Many of us are already feeling the strain on our finances, especially now that Christmas is coming up. What we don’t need on top of that is to fall victim to any of these scams!<\/p>\n

Fake Websites<\/h2>\n

Some scammers create fake websites that look similar to the websites of authentic companies. They sometimes run ads on social media so that people click on them without realising the website is not the \u2018real deal\u2019.<\/p>\n

This means that when you make payments for products, you won\u2019t be receiving the good you think you\u2019re paying for. This is one way in which scammers can prey on gift givers this Christmas, as they know that many people will be purchasing presents online.<\/p>\n

Impersonating People<\/h2>\n

Scammers may text or email you pretending to be your family member or someone else you know. A lot of the time, this is done under the guise of having lost their phone, to explain why they are texting off a different number.<\/p>\n

Make sure you try to get into contact with the person in question with the actual contact details you have for them.<\/p>\n

Gift Card Scams<\/h2>\n

Scammers may impersonate someone else and ask you to buy gift cards and send them the codes needed to activate them. Don\u2019t share these codes!<\/p>\n

Gift card scams can also occur through online vendors asking you to buy gift cards in order to purchase any items through them. Once you supply the gift card information, they have that money without needing any of your bank details.<\/p>\n

Delivery Scams<\/h2>\n

You may receive texts or emails saying your parcel is due or has arrived at your local post office or depot.<\/p>\n

Scammers may provide a link with this for you to click on which contains malware which can steal your personal information like your bank account details. Alternatively, they may ask you to put in your personal information in order to retrieve your parcel.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a lot easier for people to fall for these over the festive period as many of us are more likely to have deliveries on their way on the run up to Christmas due to buying presents online.<\/p>\n

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E-Greetings<\/h2>\n

You may receive e-greetings which claim to contain gift cards, but which actually contains malware which can steal your personal information.<\/p>\n

If you are unsure, check the email address it\u2019s come from. If it appears to have come from someone you know, give them a ring to double check.<\/p>\n

Microsoft Technical Support<\/h2>\n

One popular method for scammers is to ring you claiming to be from Microsoft Technical Support. They then claim to have detected an error or security risk on your computer and ask for your permission to access your computer remotely.<\/p>\n

They will then ask for your card details in order to pay them or ask you to subscribe to a service to further support you and your device. Don\u2019t do either of these things! Microsoft would never ring you like this, so if you get one of these calls, it\u2019s a scam!<\/p>\n

Warning Signs<\/h2>\n

Look out for:<\/p>\n