Holiday Scams: What to Watch Out For & How to Stay Safe

‘Tis the season to be extra mindful of scammers! While fraud and identity theft are a concern year-round, the increase in online and in-store transactions during holiday shopping season, as well as our collective desire to be more giving to others around this time, results in more opportunities for fraudsters to obtain our personal information and wreak havoc on our finances and our personal records.

Here are some resources to help you learn about common holiday scams and how to avoid falling victim to them—plus, the steps you should take if you believe your information has been compromised.

• READ UP ON COMMON HOLIDAY SCAMS: Check out this article, which is a great resource outlining the types of scams that tend to run most rampant this time of year. From snail mail to online shopping scams, charity and investment scams to impostor phone calls, there’s a lot to look out for. | Learn more.
• CHECK YOUR ACCOUNTS OFTEN: Make sure you’re regularly checking in on your financial accounts using our online and mobile banking app, where you can see real-time account activity. We also recommend using our free Credit Sense tool regularly, which gives you an overview of your score and a heads up on any new credit reporting activity.
• TAKE EXTRA PRECAUTIONS WITH FREE BANKING TOOLS: Make sure you’ve got account alerts set-up to make you aware of account activity, transactions, and potential fraud attempts. We highly encourage you to take advantage of these options within our mobile banking app and our Card Control app.
• ACT IMMEDIATELY IF YOU BELIEVE YOUR INFORMATION HAS BEEN COMPROMISED: If you believe you’ve fallen victim to a scam or that you’ve spotted fraudulent activity on your accounts, take action ASAP. Get in touch with your financial institution, credit card company, and any other entities related to the fraud (retailers, payment apps, etc.) Also take a moment to report the fraud to the Federal Trade Commission.
  • REPORTING FRAUD TO 3RIVERS: 3Rivers members, visit THIS PAGE for the steps you should take to report fraud on your 3Rivers accounts.

It’s important to continuously remain vigilant in order to prevent fraud from happening to you, and to take action right away if it does.

Follow our blog for timely articles that can help you stay up-to-date on popular scams and learn more about fraud prevention HERE.