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A growing number of shoppers are falling victim to some type of fraud, from package theft to identify theft. It highlights how creative criminals are getting as they seek out victims, especially around the holidays.
AARP Fraud Watch NetworkTM report, highlighting the ways criminals are targeting consumers this holiday season, found that 82% of shoppers have been exposed to some type of fraud this year.
Criminals are becoming increasingly creative, moving beyond simple package theft. The issue is that many consumers are unaware of the different scams they may encounter as well as what red flags to look for.
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For instance, 64% of respondents said they didn’t realize that online retailers wouldn’t ask for personal login information to provide them with customer support, according to the survey.
As 2024 holiday shopping continues, Kathy Stokes, Director of Fraud Prevention at AARP Fraud Watch Network, told FOX Business that consumers need to be cautious of emails, texts and ads on social media of great deals on popular items.
Black Friday Shopping Soho (Photo by Thomas Iannaccone/WWD/Penske Media via Getty Images / Getty Images)
“It’s best to shop with a trusted retailer and to go to their website or use the app to make purchases. Don’t click on links because you could be sent to a fake site where their goal is to steal payment information. Or worse, it could place credential-stealing malicious software on your device and use the information to take over accounts, including financial accounts,” Stokes said.
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This year, nearly half of those surveyed, 44%, purchased something through an online ad on social media in the past 12 months, compared to 38% in 2023, according to the survey. About 35% of shoppers experienced fraud when making a purchase from an online ad.
At the same time, knowledge of safe online shopping practices regarding online ads dropped significantly this year, with almost half of those surveyed saying they believed ads for merchandise on social media online are trustworthy or were unsure, according to the survey.
A shopper carries bags at the Polaris Fashion Place mall on Black Friday in Columbus, Ohio, US, on Friday, Nov. 24, 2023. (Matthew Hatcher/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
However, more than half of those surveyed, around 56%, also reported receiving a notification from someone claiming to be from USPS, FedEx, or UPS and notifying them about a shipment problem which ended up being fraudulent.
That’s nearly double the number of people, 29%, that experienced this type of fraud in 2022. It’s also a significant uptick from the 53% that came across this fraud in 2023.
About one quarter of adults have either been given or received a gift card with no balance at some point, the survey found.
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The safest way to shop online this holiday season is with a credit card, according to AARP. While two-thirds of people plan to use a credit card this shopping season, about 70% plan to still use their debit card.
Debit cards have the same protections as credit cards. However, the money is taken directly from the victim’s bank account and “resolution is a longer process than is the case with credit cards.”
Meanwhile, just over 30% are planning to use peer-to-peer payment apps, according to the survey. Many respondents also didn’t realize that peer-to-peer payment apps like CashApp or Venmo offer limited or no fraud protection.
