FBI Cleveland Warns of Holiday Scams During the Shopping Season

[Cleveland, OH] (12-6-24) The FBI Cleveland Field Office is warning the public of common holiday scams during the 2024 shopping season.

With the holidays upon us and seasonal shopping in full gear, criminals are set to look for opportunities to take advantage of consumers. The FBI is encouraging shoppers to be vigilant for scams that are designed to steal their money and personal information.

The two most prevalent holiday scams are non-delivery and non-payment crimes. In Ohio, non-payment or non-delivery totaled over $5.0 million and credit card/check fraud totaled over $6.2 million. 

The FBIs definition for Non-Payment/Non-Delivery:
Goods or services are shipped, and payment is never rendered (nonpayment) or payment is sent, and goods or services are never received, or are of lesser quality (non-delivery).

Greg Nelsen, FBI Cleveland Special Agent in Charge

“Criminals don’t take the holidays off. With so many consumers engaged in holiday shopping, whether in person or online, the capacity to target and scam unsuspecting shoppers grows infinitely. More so, scammers capitalize on our trust and have become quite savvy to our shopping habits. The FBI continues to see an uptick in victims who thought they were shopping through a reputable, valid online vendor, only to discover they’ve either provided their financial or credit card information to a nefarious third party or, after waiting weeks for a purchase to arrive, realize they’ve been scammed. 

Some of the common holiday scams the FBI warns of are:

• Online shopping scams – Scammers offer deals through phishing e-mails or advertisements.
• Social media scams – Scammers use social media sites that appear to offer vouchers or gift cards. These scams often lead consumers to complete online surveys designed to steal personal information.
• Smartphone app scams – Scammers design mobile apps disguised as free games that steal personal information.
• Work-from-home scams – Scammers use websites and social media posts that offer working from home. Convenience is the attention grabber, but there may be fraudulent intentions.
• Gift card scams – Victims receive a spoofed e-mail, call, or text asking them to purchase multiple gift cards for person or business reasons.
• Charity scams – Criminals set up false charities and profit from individuals who believe they are donating to legitimate organizations.

Scams take many forms, but if a deal looks too good to be true, it probably is. Some precautions:

• Do not open any unsolicited emails or click on any links if they do open the email.
• Remember to secure banking and credit accounts with strong and different passwords and secure all other accounts that contain anything of value, such as: rewards accounts, online accounts that save payment information, and accounts containing private and personal information. 
• Steer clear of untrustworthy sites or ads offering items at unrealistic discounts or with special coupons.
• Use caution and take a pause to verify when downloading mobile applications.
• Consumers should be vigilant when receiving items purchased from online auctions and third-party marketplaces.

If you believe you are victim of a scam, contact your financial institution immediately. You should also contact your local law enforcement agency and file a complaint with the FBIs Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) by visiting www.IC3.gov.

For more information on holiday scams, visit www.fbi.gov/holidayscams.