The holidays are approaching and you want to make every penny count.  I know, it can be tough swiping that card at the register twenty times as you knock out every gift on your list.  A great way to save some loot? Watch out for those typical holiday scams!

Jason Steele of MoneyTalkNews put a list together of some of the typical scams you'll see around the holidays.  You might want to keep an eye out for:

 

Fake checks:Perhaps you're selling an item on line and you are paid in a cashier's check for more than the correct amount.  You're asked to pay back the difference and a week or so later, after you have given some money back - you find out the check is fake.   Here are some helpful tips to prevent such a scam.

Fake charities: I'm guilty of this myself - I always open up the wallet to everyone that asks!  It would normally be a good thing, however, not all people are honest.  Some charities don't actually exist!  Here is some help from the Federal Trade Commission.

E-Mail scams: I have received several of these myself!  The ol' trapped in another country and need your cash e-mail.  Or the promise of wealth for small payments and your bank information.  Do not fall for it!

Bait and Switch: This really is quite the old trick pulled by some department stores.  You see a sweet deal on a product you want and when you go to buy it - they are all sold out.  However, the store always has a similar product that costs a tad more.  I had this happen to me two weeks ago.  I ended up paying almost another 90 smackers :-/

You should check out the entire list and prepare yourself from those crazy holiday scams!  Have you had any of these pulled on you?

 

 

 

 

 

 

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