As the holiday season approaches, a surge in online scams looms over festive shoppers, warns the FBI's San Francisco division. Their announcement, circulating since yesterday, underlines a worrying trend of increased efforts by fraudsters to snatch hard-earned cash and sensitive information from consumers looking for gifts and good deals online. From non-delivery frauds to investment scams, the concerning forecast is based on hard data: nearly $250 million has been lost to such swindles nationwide since the start of the year, according to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).
Particularly alarming are figures from the Bay Area, where victims have already reported losses surpassing $1 million last holiday season. Found striking within an informational blitzkrieg issued by the FBI, Contra Costa County residents bore the brunt of these financial hits, while Alameda County led in the volume of complaints, as per FBI findings. Among the leading holiday scams are non-delivery, where buyers lose money for goods that never arrive, and non-payment scams, a trickery where delivery happens, but the payment promised to sellers vanishes into thin air.
The rise of cryptocurrency, an economy of ostensibly bottomless potential, has opened new avenues for scammers with "Cryptocurrency Confidence" scams, a financially ruinous form of deceit the FBI expects to spike this season. The scam plays out over time, with the perpetrator cultivating trust on social media or dating apps, only to convince the victim to pour money into sham investments. As described by the bureau's report, victims are lured into making repeated investments through fake websites, and when they attempt to cash out, the scammer cuts off contact and disappears with the investments.
Meanwhile, the old-fashioned lure of puppy dog eyes isn't losing its appeal, with puppy scams causing around $6.6 million in losses so far this year. "Fraudsters don't take holiday breaks," noted FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Tripp, reminding that these scams prey on the shopper who might not suspect that the cute puppy they're trying to bring home for the holidays doesn't exist.
It's not just goods but goodwill that's being exploited; charity scams are expected to peak as well. The FBI points out criminals are setting up fake charities to line their pockets. Social media, too, is thick with con artists offering holiday promotions or gift cards via surveys designed to harvest personal data. To stay safe, officials urge consumers to beef up their cybersecurity practices, like using strong, unique passwords for each financial account and being skeptical of too-good-to-be-true deals, especially those paid with gift cards.
If the worst happens and you find yourself a scam victim, the FBI advises immediate contact with your financial institution to flag any fraudulent transfers. To help build a case against these digital-age bandits, victims can report their experiences to IC3.gov or contact the FBI's San Francisco Field Office at 415-553-7400.
