It’s a happy time of year – unless you’re the target of scammers and thieves.
Recently, the Habersham County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) alerted residents to a rather unusual scam.
“We do not sell merchandise!” the sheriff’s office proclaimed on its Facebook page.
The adamant denial was issued after “spammers and scammers” attempted to mislead Facebook followers into buying HCSO-branded items.
“The Habersham County Sheriff’s Office does NOT sell hoodies or any other merchandise,” the sheriff’s office said.
This unusual scam is one way that fraudsters are trying to steal money and holiday cheer. There are others, including phishing and porch pirates.
Protect your bank account and purchases
Phishing attacks often come through emails designed to trick users into downloading malware or sharing sensitive information or personal data.
If you shop online, these emails can come in the form of legitimate-looking package receipts. Habersham County Sheriff’s Investigator Lt. Wesley Welborn offers these tips to protect your online and banking accounts:
- If you’re expecting a package and receive a related email, look for details such as the order number, purchase date, and payment method.
- Do not click links in emails claiming to be from the retailer. Instead, use a browser or app to navigate directly to the retailer’s official website and look up your order there.
- Stop and look for red flags. Those can include an email containing prices in a currency not typical for you or an email sent outside of business hours.
- Look for spelling and grammatical mistakes in the address, subject line, or even the body text. Do not click on links contained in suspicious or unsolicited emails.
If you’ve placed an order and have been notified that your package is on its way, follow these tips from the Better Business Bureau to guard against porch pirates:
- Check with neighbors. Sometimes, a package may not be stolen but instead may have been left at the wrong address. Many delivery companies take pictures of the package where it was left, so make sure it is at a familiar location.
- When possible, do not leave delivered packages unattended for long periods. Attempt to schedule delivery when someone will be there to accept or retrieve it, but if not, ask a neighbor to collect it so it will be waiting securely.
- Ship to a store when using a retailer with a physical location nearby.
- Use a visible security camera, doorbell camera, or camera system and install a sign stating the home or business is under surveillance.
- Require a signature for expensive items but check the retailer’s policy to ensure the driver will not return items to sender if a recipient is not available after a couple of tries.
Christmas and Hanukkah are times for celebrating. Don’t let anyone steal the joy from you.
