A recent survey from the AARP Fraud Watch Network found that nearly two-thirds of Maine consumers failed to correctly answer most questions about how to stay safe from common holiday scams. Sixty-three percent of survey participants answered four or fewer of the seven questions correctly.
Many people, in fact, are often doing things that make it easier for con artists to prey on them. The survey touched on five areas:
— Giving to a charity or fundraiser without verifying the group is legally authorized to raise money in the state. People can check the Maine Department of Professional and Financial Regulation to find out if a charity is legitimate.
— Buying off gift card racks. Scammers have been known to secretly write down or scan the numbers off the cards. Later, they call the number or check online to see if someone has bought and activated them. Once someone activates the card, the thieves use the funds. It’s safer to buy gift cards online than from a gift card rack at a grocery store.
— Using a debit card. It’s best to use a credit card rather than a debit card for most purchases. If it’s stolen, you’re only liable for up to $50 of fraudulent use, while your losses will be much greater if your debit card is stolen.
— Buying items online or checking bank accounts on public WiFi. It’s not safe to look at sensitive information online while using free WiFi. Cyber thieves can steal your card info.
— Not asking to sign for packages. Companies that deliver packages aren’t responsible if they’re left at your front door and then stolen — if you didn’t require a delivery signature.
Alan Newman Research conducted the survey for AARP, interviewing 800 Maine adults who said they planned to shop during October, November or December for a holiday celebration. It has a sampling error of 3.5 percent. You can read more about the survey and protections against fraud here.
Now that you have all the answers, you can see how well you would have fared in the survey. The following quiz uses the same language as the AARP study:
