Help Protect Yourself From Holiday Shopping Scams
As the holiday season approaches, scammers take advantage of increased online and in-store shopping to target potential victims. Stay informed about common scams and take steps to help protect yourself and your financial information this season.
Common Holiday Shopping Scams to Watch Out For
Bank Imposter Scams
Scammers may contact you by text, claiming to be from your bank and asking if you made a debit, credit, or Zelle® transaction or signed on to online banking. When you respond that you did not make that transaction or sign on, the scammer will text or call you under the guise of helping you secure your account. They will ask for sensitive information like one-time passcodes or sign-on credentials, so they can access your accounts.
Prevention Tip: Never respond to unsolicited texts or phone calls by clicking a link or sharing sensitive information. End the communication and verify the authenticity of the contact by calling your bank directly using a known phone number, such as the one printed on the back of your debit or credit card.
Retail Phishing and Smishing Scams
Scammers may send emails or texts that appear to be from retailers, claiming there’s an issue with your order or offering a deal. These messages often contain links to fake websites designed to steal your information.
Prevention Tip: Do not click links or dial phone numbers provided in unexpected texts or phone calls. To confirm the information from the message, contact the legitimate company using a published phone number or directly from their website.
Public Wi-Fi Scams
Scammers set up fake public Wi-Fi networks in popular shopping areas or airports to intercept your data when you connect, so they can steal your account sign-on credentials and credit card information.
Prevention Tip: Avoid using public Wi-Fi for financial transactions. If you must use public Wi-Fi, consider using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to encrypt your data, which provides an extra layer of security.
Additional Protection Tips
- Monitor Your Accounts. Check your accounts daily and report unauthorized transactions immediately. To receive notifications about certain KeyBank account activity, sign up for account alerts.
- Enable Multi-Factor Authentication. Add an extra layer of security to your accounts by requiring an additional verification method when you sign on.
- Check Your Credit Report. Regularly review your credit report for unfamiliar activity and opt in to view your FICO score in KeyBank online banking.
- Verify Text Messages. To send and receive text messages, KeyBank uses short codes, which are five- or six-digit phone numbers. To confirm that a text message you receive is really from Key, make sure the short code it comes from matches a code from KeyBank’s list of short codes.