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HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) — Pennsylvania’s Attorney General Michelle Henery has issued a warning to all Pennsylvania residents about scams that typically begin to occur during the holiday experience.
“It is that special time of year — for an increase in the frequency of scams we see taking place all year long, so it is vital that Pennsylvanians remain on guard,” Attorney General Henry said. “Take some time to learn what these scams look like to protect your property, finances, identity, and other personal information.”
According to the Office of the Attorney General, many types of scams appear during the holiday season such as:
- Email and Text Scams
- You may get an email or text saying you need to enter personal information onto a website that is considered fraudulent.
- Delivery Stealing
- If no one will be home while your deliveries are being made, try to make arrangements to have a trusted neighbor hold your deliveries until you can get home. You can also ask your employer if deliveries can be dropped off at your workplace.
- Credit Card Skimming
- Skimming machines usually appear at gas pumps and ATMs. These machines steal your credit card information. Instead of inserting your credit or debit card into the slot of a merchant’s payment processing machine, consider using a payment app on your smartphone.
- Romance Scams
- These scams appear as people wanting to be in a serious relationship and then may ask their victims to pay for expenses such as plane tickets, customs fees, and others. In addition, they may appear to transfer a large sum of money to a victim’s checking account, but the money transfer turns out to be fake.
As quoted in the release, the office is reminding residents to consider the following tactics to prevent you or a loved one from being scammed.
- Set up email or text alerts with your credit card company or bank, so you will be alerted quickly to all purchases, including fraudulent purchases.
- Install the latest security updates and run virus scans regularly on your computer or mobile device.
- Never use your home’s smart device, such as Alexa, Siri, or Google Home, to find a customer support number for any company, and have the system dial it for you. Go directly to the company’s website, call the number on the back of your credit or debit card, or the number on your billing statement.
- Never pay with a prepaid gift card, CashApp, or Venmo or wire someone money when you’re trying to buy a gift online. Use your credit card, not a debit card, for better protection.
- Never click on a hyperlink in an email, social media ad, or text message to make a purchase. Go directly to the website of the store you wish to purchase from to ensure you are shopping at the right place.
- Gift cards are for gifts– you cannot pay a bill or debt owed to the government through a gift card.
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