FBI issues holiday scam warning for online shoppers

The FBI issued a warning to consumers about online scams as the holiday shopping season gets officially underway this week with Black Friday and then Cyber Monday.

"Don't let #holiday excitement cloud your judgment! Always verify the legitimacy of online retailers and be cautious with unsolicited offers," the FBI said Friday in a post on X.

"Every year, thousands of people become victims of holiday scams. Scammers can rob you of hard-earned money, personal information, and, at the very least, a festive mood," the agency added in a warning on its website.

The FBI cautioned against four types of scams: non-delivery, when consumers pay for goods online but never receive the items; non-payment, when purchased goods are shipped but consumers never receive payment; auction fraud, when a product is misrepresented on an auction site; and gift card fraud, when a seller asks the consumer to use a pre-paid card for payment.

A 2023 report from the Internet Crime Complaint Center found that non-payment and non-delivery scams cost consumers more than $309 million last year and credit card fraud resulted in an additional $173 million in losses.

The FBI includes ways for consumers to protect themselves against scams, such as refraining from clicking suspicious links and being discerning with password change requests, knowing who they are purchasing items from online, being careful with payment methods, and tracking packages and addresses of cardholders.

"When shopping online during the holiday season—or any time of year—always be wary of deals that seem too good to be true," the FBI added.

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