Avoiding coal in your stocking through holiday scams

Some folks get distracted this time of year by the hustle and bustle, the gift lists, the get-togethers and more. There’s often a lot going on. It’s the perfect time for scammers out there to catch you off guard, whether you’re shopping for others or just staying home watching it snow. 

Here are some scams that can happen anytime, but are more common during the holidays:

Porch pirates

Package theft is not new, but it has increased as more people returned to their offices the last few years. Many victims, however, are home when their deliveries disappear in mere minutes.

Porch piracy typically increases during the holiday shopping season. Some brazen thieves actually follow delivery trucks. About 58 million Americans have had a package stolen at least once in the past 12 months, according to Security.org’s annual update in November 2024. The median value of a stolen package was $204 this year, up from $50 two years ago.

Here’s a link to our guide on protecting yourself from porch pirates.

Checks or gift cards that are mailed with a greeting card

Many of us have loved ones far way. If you’re mailing a check or gift card, or expecting to receive a check or gift card or something small through the U.S. Postal Service, you should be aware that items get stolen from Postal Service mailboxes, including checks that get intercepted and forged to change the recipient and the amount.

Here’s our guide with tips to protect yourself throughout the year.

Counterfeit and speculative event tickets

Whether you’re giving tickets to a concert or sporting event as a gift, or planning an outing with family during the holidays, counterfeit tickets are huge problem, particularly as electronic tickets have pushed out paper tickets.

It’s easier to scam someone over the phone or by email; you never meet up with the thief.

Here’s our guide on what to watch out for when shopping for event tickets.

Scam emails and texts about your deliveries from FedEx, Amazon, USPS, etc. 

Bad guys know the increase in online shopping in the last few years means an increase in packages we’re expecting. Scammers send out thousands or millions of emails or texts in a day, falsely warning us of a problem with our package from FedEx/UPS/Amazon/USPS and we need to click on this link or call this number right now to resolve the issue. You may not even have a pending delivery.

They’re trying to get you to panic and act before stopping to think. Don’t fall for it. If you think there’s a problem with a delivery you’re expecting, go directly to the source: FedEx or UPS or Amazon or USPS. If you have a tracking number from the confirmation notice when you ordered, all the better. 

See more about scary emails, texts and calls you might get in our consumer guide

Counterfeit products 

Shoppers often get drawn into counterfeit products when they’re desperately looking for that hard-to-find, perfect gift for a loved one. Other counterfeits emerge to take advantage of any pop culture phenomenon such the new Moana 2 or Wicked movies, or anything piggybacking on Taylor Swift’s popularity. Other times it may be a Disney product or Lego toys that are so much cheaper than you’d expect.

Our guides point out red flags and how to find the true manufacturer by scanning a product’s UPC at home, or checking whether the label lists the country of origin, which is required for most clothing, all imported toys and many other imported consumer products.

We have a guide to help you avoid buying counterfeits, and another guide to help you figure out whether that thing you bought may not be what you think it is. 

Stolen goods

Thieves often steal genuine products from stores and resell them on online platforms such as eBay or Facebook Marketplace. The tell may be a ridiculously low price for a brand new item, such as a pair of athletic shoes or a designer purse.

For sure, people sometimes do sell an item they bought for themselves or received as a gift and don’t want. But if a seller is supposedly cleaning out their closet and selling six brand new pairs of Nike shoes in the same size, for example, there’s reason to wonder where they came from.

The items may be perfectly good, but the proceeds may be supporting a crime ring’s illicit and sometimes horrifying causes. Most of us probably don’t want to do that, even if it means we save money.A federal law that took effect in 2023 is supposed to squash big crime rings but doesn’t do much to address small-time thieves.

Online ads to buy puppies

Well-intentioned folks often want to surprise their children or partner with a puppy. But the online ads you see frequently are scams. Victims of puppy scams stemming from fraudulent ads have reported $5.6 million in losses so far this year, according to the FBI.

Gift cards you buy but the value is stolen

Sophisticated crime rings, both domestic and international, have driven an increase in scams where bad guys put fake barcodes on the backs of real gift cards sold in major stores. When you buy the card, the cashier scans the fake barcode and that puts the value onto a thief’s gift card account. The card you bought has no value left. To try to avoid this, you can check for signs of tampering, such as misaligned packaging or scratched-off security codes.

The FBI explains the scams and has advice. The Department of Homeland Security also offers tips.

Imposter customer service phone numbers and email addresses

You need to contact a company with a question about its products or an order you placed? Be cautious if you’re doing an online search for the company’s customer service phone number or website. For years, the Federal Trade Commission has fielded complaints about fraudulent phone numbers or listings posted as a sponsored item, or that bad guys pay to get ranked high in online searches.

These scammers are after your money or your information or both. Often, if you contact them, they’ll offer to resolve your issue by maybe sending you a gift card (but they’ll need your address) or issue a refund (but they’ll need your credit or debit card number.)

The FTC offers tips and insights.

Invalid gift cards you can buy through online marketplaces

As with concert tickets or brand new products that someone is selling online, you have reason to avoid buying gift cards from an individual you don’t know. It often doesn’t end well for the buyer. 

If you’re looking to buy (or sell) a gift card at a discount, it’s better to use a service such as CardCash or Raise, where there’s some accountability and protection.