Pittsburgh FBI Office Issues Holiday Scam Warning

PITTSBURGH – ‘Tis the season for scammers, and the FBI's Pittsburgh office is warning that criminals are ramping up efforts to steal your money and personal information.

Here are some prevalent scams that people should watch out for this time of year:

• Non-Delivery Scams - A buyer pays for goods or services they find online, but those items are never received.
• Non-Payment Scams - Goods or services are shipped, but the seller is never paid.
• Auction Fraud - Involves a seller deliberately misrepresenting the condition or quality of an item on an auction website.
• Gift Card Fraud - Scammers can steal numbers and security codes from gift cards in stores and wait for them to be activated, or consumers can be asked to pay for goods or services with a pre-paid card.

In addition to these scams, people should be on the lookout for phishing, smishing, vishing, spoofing, and pharming while shopping for gifts online this holiday season.

Regarding these scams, according to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) data from 2023, Pennsylvanians lost nearly $9 million in Non-Payment/Non-Delivery schemes and nearly $200,000 in phishing/spoofing scams.

Here's how you can prevent scammers from taking advantage of you this holiday season:

• Before shopping online, secure all financial accounts with strong passwords or passphrases. The FBI recommends using different passwords for each financial account.
• As usual, if a deal looks too good to be true, it probably is.
• Buy directly from a secure and reputable website; steer clear of unfamiliar sites offering unrealistic discounts on brand-name merchandise.
• Verify the legitimacy of buyers or sellers before making a purchase. If you’re using an online marketplace or auction website, check feedback ratings.
• Avoid sellers and websites that demand payment solely through gift cards. Scammers also sometimes encourage shoppers to conduct wire transfers, allowing criminals to quickly receive illicit funds. Credit cards provide several layers of security against fraud and are typically the safest way to conduct online shopping.
• Check bank and credit card statements routinely, including after making online purchases and in the weeks following the holidays.
• Never give personal information like your date of birth or Social Security number to anyone you don’t know.
• Always get a tracking number for items purchased online so you can make sure the shipment has occurred and you can follow the process.

If you do become the victim of a scam, contact your bank immediately. You should also inform your local law enforcement agency and file a complaint with the FBI’s IC3 at ic3.gov.