Scams: How to keep your information safe

No matter the time of year, scammers will look for victims. 

That's why you should be on high alert, especially during the holiday time, when more people are using credit cards and online purchasing methods to buy gifts. Scammers will use many methods to try to get you to fork over your personal information and/or money, but here's two that continue to be at the top of list for successful scams. 

Email attachment scams

Scammers send emails posing as your favorite online shopping sites and include PDF attachments stating that your account will be suspended or placed on hold. These attachments prompt you to click on a fraudulent link to "update your account." These links lure you to provide personal information such as payment information or account login credentials. 

Do not click on any links or provide your information without authenticating the email or verifying the link. Reach out to the business using a phone number you have on file. Never use the phone number within the email. 

Membership scams

These are unexpected calls/texts/email that refer to a costly membership fee or an issue with your membership and ask you to confirm or cancel the charge. These scammers try to convince you to provide payment or bank account information in order to reinstate a membership.

Legitimate memberships will never ask you to provide payment information for products or services over the phone. To verify your membership status or make payments, log into your shopping account to review.

 Here are some important tips to identify scams and keep your account and information safe:

• Trust shopping site-owned channels -- Always go through the mobile app or website when seeking customers service, tech support, or when looking to make changes to your account.
• Be wary of false urgency -- Scammers may try to create a sense of urgency to persuade you to do what they're asking. Be wary any time someone tries to convince you that you must act now.
• Never pay over the phone -- Legitimate sites will never ask you to provide payment information, including gift cards (or "verification cards" as some scammers call them) for products or services over the phone.
• Verify links first -- Review the link for misspellings or repeated characters. Go directly to the website when seeking help with devices/services, orders or to make changes to your account.
• Verify email senders -- Legitimate emails contain a correct email extension. In your web browser, hover over the display name under "from" to see full sender address. Look for misspellings, added or subsituted characters.