The Grinch isn’t the only one trying to ruin the holidays.
With the promise of exclusive deals, flash sales and similar promotions, online scammers are busy attempting to con holiday shoppers into purchasing bogus items in order to gain access to credit card and other personally identifiable information.
Many of these offers come in the form of unsolicited emails, text messages and other communications.
Limited time and other too-good-to-be-true offers portraying a sense of urgency are often telltale signs of scams.
To avoid getting fleeced, the CyberSafe at USPS team offers the following advice:
• Slow down. Be wary of urgent messaging and requests to act fast.
• Verify. When purchasing gifts or donating to a charity, verify that the websites are legitimate, identify the mailing address associated with the organization, and confirm customer service contact information.
• Report. If you fall victim to a scam, contact the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center immediately.
The CyberSafe at USPS Blue and LiteBlue pages have more information.
