While the holiday shopping season is in full swing, the FBI is warning consumers to keep an eye out for scams both in-person and online.
Robert Tripp is the special agent in charge of the FBI’s field office in San Francisco, and he’s trying to make sure people shopping for gifts during the holiday are aware of fraud schemes.
“They will receive a spam email that offers something that seems like an incredible deal, a great gift for the family,” Tripp said. “They will send money, hoping to receive that gift, and they will never receive it.”
This year, the agency expects to see a rise in scams designed to steal money and personal information. Its advice to consumers: be very diligent about unsolicited offers.
“Through the spam emails, through the unsolicited telephone calls and text messages,” Tripp said. “If a consumer receives an unsolicited offer, I encourage them to do their due diligence to make sure that it is a reputable company."
There are also other tips to avoid being victimized:
- Beware of purchases or services that require payment with a gift card
- Use a credit cards versus a debit card to make purchases
- Don’t click suspicious links and
- Be wary of online retailers offering significantly discounted prices
NBC Bay Area spoke with several shoppers at Union Square Wednesday, who said they were vigilant when it comes to their texts and emails.
“The one that we always get about the boss saying, ‘hey, it’s a secret, I need you to buy me all these gift cards,’ we do get that one regularly at the office,” one shopper said.
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In the countries covered by the San Francisco field office, nearly 200 complaints about non-payment or non-delivery incidents were reported in the last two months of 2022. Contra Costa County County had the highest amount lost, followed by Santa Clara County. Alameda County had the highest number of victims.
For those who think they’ve been scammed, Tripp advised them to immediately call their bank or financial institution.
The FBI asks anyone who thinks they’ve been the victim of an online scam to report to the Internet Crime Complaint Center.
