By: Najla Alexander
It's the holiday season, and that means shopping, lots of shopping with amazing deals on everything before Xmas rolls around, but that also means credit scammers come out to play.
Yes, those annoying credit card scammers that live to try and get innocent people out of their money, especially during peaceful and happy times like this one.
It's frustrating, but there are ways to avoid these wretched credit card scammers and protect yourself in the process!
Their end goal is to find some loophole in technology to gain your personal and financial information to make any money they can off of it and keep making money in new ways.
They come up with new schemes. Did you know that almost half of NJ residents reported credit card-related crimes?
Well, it's true. "The state ranks 7th in the total number of reported credit card crimes committed. There are 46 incidents for every 100,000 people. Among all types of identity theft that occur statewide, roughly 43% involve credit cards," as stated by Lento Law Firm.
We want NJ residents to be able to protect themselves during the holidays and in the future, so here are some tips to look out for on how to spot and protect yourself from credit card scammers:
Identity Theft
Identity theft is when scammers commit fraud, where the criminals pretend to be you, ultimately stealing your identity.
They borrow your personal information such as your name, address, credit card information, bank information, Social Security number, or even insurance information.
Through methods of hacking and any other means, they can think of. Taking all that information and doing what they want with it usually involves stealing a lot of money.
Protect yourself by guarding your personal information online by using strong passwords and/or two-factor solid authentications, only going to protected sites, and using protective security software on your laptop or computer to prevent scammers from retrieving your information.
Offline, that's simple, keep an eye on where you put your wallet with your bank cards and important identification, so they do not get lost or stolen.
Phishing Scams
Phishing scams are scams where scammers pose as a legitimate business to hand over your personal information. Then occur through phone calls, emails, and social media, making it seem like they are a real business.
Scammers have found ways to mimic enterprises and make caller IDs look like they are from legitimate companies.
They get you to try and verify your account because there is suspicious activity, but once you log in or type in your code, you give them access.
Look out for suspicious emails, especially those that could have spelling/grammar errors.
Even emails from a business are the reply-to address. If you click a phishing link, update your security software and run a scan on your computer.
Public Wi-Fi Scams
Public scams like this are where scammers try to retrieve your personal information through a public network.
That's why it's always risky to enter personal data on your device using a public Wi-Fi network because those networks aren't secure.
They are open to hackers waiting and posing as public Wi-Fi to steal your info.
Once you have logged on to it, the network says you must pay for access and asks for a credit card number when you try to connect to it. Then the credit card information you enter goes straight to the scammers.
To try and protect yourself when using public Wi-Fi, don't assume the network is safe and click on it, but ask the facility where you are using the Wi-Fi if it is the correct one.
To avoid any scammers getting ahold of your information.
Overcharge Scams
Overcharge scams are where you could get an email, phone call, or text message saying a purchase you made overcharged your credit card and the usual saying, "To get the charges removed, you need to hand over sensitive information like your login info."
Once you do that, it lets the scammer into your account, not realizing, in most cases, the supposed overcharge is for a subscription you already had, like Netflix or Spotify.
To try and protect yourself, always be wary of anyone who tries to contact you out of the blue seeking personal information.
Remember to check the address and/or phone number, and don't give out any sensitive information.
Skimming Scams
Skimming scams are an old form of fraud where someone would record your credit card information and using it to make small purchases they hoped you wouldn't notice.
Now it's a device called a Skimmer.
Thieves attach skimmers to machines that take credit or debit cards, and when you put your card in, the skimmer reads and records the payment information.
So, the thieves can make purchases and charge them to your account.
Protect yourself by looking out for what the machines look like. Usually, you can see something stuck on top of or next to the card slot that may look out of place, loose, or crooked.
For instance, the keypad numbers, shapes, and colors may not line up or match across the machine.
There are some machines you can't spot and won't detect, so to be safe in general, if you have a bank card that you can tap or pay with your smartphone, do it.
This will force you to avoid swiping or sticking your card into the slot that may have a skimmer attached to it.
Lastly, if you aren't able to do that, check your account statements carefully for any suspicious activity.
If you see signs of fraud, report it ASAP.