Holiday Scams


December 17, 2010

There are plenty of legitimate websites for purchasing products, but the holidays seem to bring out the scammers, who use the same tricks each year…


Audio Transcript

Ms. Ballew: There are plenty of legitimate websites for purchasing products, but the holidays seem to bring out the scammers, who use the same tricks each year… 

Mr. Pavelites: “Internet criminals are still posting classified ads and auctions for products they don’t have. Fraudsters will use any item that people are likely to buy, sight unseen, that they know people are desperate for.”

Ms. Ballew: Supervisory Special Agent Charles Pavelites of the Internet Crime Complaint Center, says scammers create a sense of urgency to rush people into buying.

Mr. Pavelites: “Someone’s passed away in my family and I really need to get rid of this, I’ve been deployed in the military and I’m going to another country and I’ve gotta get rid of this now.”

Ms. Ballew: Once you send an initial payment, they can ask for more.

Mr. Pavelites: “You send them the money then they say, oh there’s been a problem, we need extra shipping.” 

Ms. Ballew: At risk—your money, personal and banking information, and your computer if you open an attachment that has malware or viruses.   

Mr. Pavelites: “Make sure you report that you were scammed.” 

Ms. Ballew: To law enforcement, www.IC3.gov or www.fbi.gov. I’m Denise Ballew of the Bureau, and that’s what’s happening at the “FBI, This Week.”

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