Look Out for Holiday Scams

The holidays are a time for joy and giving. Don’t let scammers ruin the season.

AARP Georgia reminds Peach Staters to be cautious when shopping, expecting packages or making donations. Common holiday scams include shopping apps that capture personal financial information, fake gift cards, theft of packages delivered to your porch, shady charities and fake sweepstakes that require a cash transfer to pay “taxes” before collecting a “prize.”

In 2015, Georgia ranked second per capita in consumer fraud complaints and seventh per capita in cases of identity theft, according to the Federal Trade Commission. In a recent AARP study, 70 percent of consumers 18 and older failed a basic test on how to avoid holiday scams.

To schedule an AARP Fraud Watch Network presentation for your community group, call 866-295-7281 toll-free. For antifraud tips, go to fraudwatchnetwork.org.