NORFOLK, Va. — Don’t let scammers steal your holiday cheer during the busiest shopping time of the year.
It's the time of the year when criminals come out of the woodwork looking to prey on shoppers when they least expect it, especially sophisticated scammers.
"They needed like five dollars from me, and I [said] sure. Little did I know that they went into my account and tried to take more than 5 dollars," said Norfolk resident Clarence Christman.
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It can happen quickly. One click and your money could be in someone else hands.
Clarence clicked on a link sent to his phone, one he didn't realize wasn't legit. But what happens if you're not so lucky?
According to the BBB, if you give out personal information like your debit card information, reach out to your bank and let them know.
"I've been in the parking lot walking, and some people [have asked me], 'Can you help transfer this amount of money?'" said Isaiah Torres, "It'll be around [the] holiday season."
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Police say anytime you use your credit cards, whether online or at the mall, you should go in with your eyes open, even if you're just waiting for your Amazon orders to be delivered.
You want to watch out for phone calls or texts that may seem sketchy because your personal information could be compromised.
You don't want to hand over your phone to anybody while out shopping. Experts say it's an easy way someone could steal your money. For one Norfolk man, it was almost $7,000.
"They held my phone for less than 5 minutes, and at that point, they started applying for loans on my account," said Torres.
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Don't let your guard down because you don't want to get tricked this holiday season.
Things to watch out for:
- Police say you want to be careful when sending money through payment apps. Once you hit send, it's hard to get it back.
- Watch out for fake websites or social media profiles that try to mimic legitimate charities.
- Avoid becoming a victim of delivery scams. Keep a record of your deliveries and know the company's delivery policies.
- Watch out for AI Phishing Scams—That’s where fraudsters gather personalized details about you online, like social media, and then use general AI to create a convincing, specific text or email that encourages you to click on the fraudulent links.
