Kelly Hayes
Holiday scam calls may be on the upswing as the festive season approaches, a newly-released AARP Fraud Watch Network Survey shows.
The new survey found that three out of four U.S. adults have been targeted by or experienced at least one form of fraud in the past. And, 69% of Americans plan to use their debit cards this holiday season. Additionally, 66% plan to purchase gift cards as a holiday present, and 60% rely on purchasing them off the rack, which is a known target for scammers.
“The holiday season is a time for togetherness, celebration and giving. Unfortunately, the gift-giving process, from purchasing the perfect gift to making sure it gets to the recipient, also brings many opportunities for scammers to enrich themselves,” AARP Florida State Director Jeff Johnson said in a statement.
About 45% consumers intend to use peer-to-peer apps like Venmo, Zelle or Cash App to send money this holiday season, and 69% of peer-to-peer app users have sent money to someone they didn’t know well, which the AARP does not recommend.
And, even though the holidays is often a time when people like to give a little more, many are unsure of just where their good intentions are going. According to the survey, 38% of adults reported receiving a request for a monetary donation to a charity that felt fake or fraudulent.
“Fraudsters deploy a number of tactics to steal during the holidays, ranging from online shopping scams, to those involving the draining of gift cards, to package and shipping scams,” Johnson added in his statement. “The new AARP study found that many consumers may be opening themselves up to increased risks as they shop this holiday season.”
Many more people are also doing their holiday shopping online, which became the shopping method of choice for American consumers during the COVID-19 pandemic. But, survey findings also show that many don’t know how to shop safely online, with most respondents failing related questions on a short quiz. Notably, 34% of adults have received a fake notification about a shipping issue, separate from the issue of packages still being stolen from porches.
Nearly 8,000 people call AARP’s Fraud Watch Network helpline every month to report suspected scams.
“This holiday season, serve your holiday cheer with a side of skepticism to help stay safe from increasingly sophisticated scammers,” Johnson said in a statement.
