The AARP is warning people to beware of scams as the holiday shopping season ramps up.
One common scam involves fake texts or emails from scammers that claim to be shipping companies in need of your information to complete a delivery, according to Christina FitzPatrick, the AARP’s state director in New Hampshire. She said the ploy is designed to steal you identity.
“Oftentimes, the way to protect yourself from fraud is to stop and take a breath and really, really think about what’s happening here and whether it makes sense,” she told WBUR. “So if it’s a notification of shipping, but it doesn’t say which company is trying to ship something to you, that’s a red flag.”
FitzPatrick said the fraudsters often tamper with gift cards inside stores that are left in the open. They’re sometimes able to drain the money on the cards before they can be used by the person who purchases them.
She advised consumers to buy gift cards that are kept behind a counter, or to purchase them online directly from the retailer’s website.