Scam and Spoofing Tricks to Look Out For During The Holidays

Safety and Protection

Scam and Spoofing Tricks to Look Out For This Holiday Season

November 22, 2024

Here are 3 common scamming and spoofing techniques that you should be aware of:

Fake or Spoof Advertising - This is a technique that scammers use to insert malware onto a users’ computer when they visit a malicious email or click an ad online.
Spoof Calls - Someone calling you and saying that they are from Suncoast or any other organization with a number that doesn’t match the business phone number.
Spoof Emails - Sending spoof emails is one way that scammers will try to trick you into giving them additional information about you or to trying gain access to your personal information.

What to look out for?

Payment app scams

Scams involving payment apps run all year long, but the volume always tends to increase during the holiday season. Most of these scams start with a call from someone pretending to be your bank or credit card company, saying there has been fraud detected on your account. They'll try to get you to transfer the money to an account to "protect" it, but it's actually an account for the scammer.

Double-check the website

Scammers often create fake websites that look just like legitimate online stores, or a financial institutions website. Triple-check the URL web address for a slight variation in the spelling of a popular website. Look for a padlock icon on the address bar and check for "https" to indicate a secure connection.

When in doubt, hang up

Even if the caller is claiming to be from your financial institution or the IRS, if you feel doubtful, simply end the call. It’s better to hang up and call the organization back directly at their actual phone number. Don’t trust the phone number that the caller provided. This way, you’re in control and don’t have to worry about a spoofed number.

Monitor your online shopping accounts

Watch closely for any signs of unusual activity like unexpected orders, new shipping addresses, or account updates you didn't initiate. Account takeover fraud typically involves unauthorized access to accounts to make purchases or transfer funds.

Pay attention to the details

Often times there are spelling errors and mistakes in writing that will help you to identify fake or spoofed communications or advertising. If you receive a communication that looks sloppy or unprofessional it is a sign that they aren’t legitimate.

Urgency as a red flag

If someone is trying to get you to take urgent action, using scare tactics, or asking for personal information like bank details, social security number, or passwords/PINs, these are red flags.

NEVER give out your personal information to a caller

If someone is using urgency to try to get you to provide your personal details or card numbers, it is suspicious. By hanging up and researching the actual phone number of the organization, you can contact them directly to see if there is truly a problem. So even if the caller is claiming there is an urgent problem, do not provide any information when you’re in doubt.

Remember to stay safe and protect your hard-earned money this holiday season!