Holiday Scams To Watch For
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?