FRANKFORT, Ky. – (CLARKSVILLENOW) – Those shopping online this Christmas season should be on the lookout for scam emails, Kentucky Attorney General Andy Beshear warned today.
With Christmas shopping in full swing, and the National Retail Federation predicting spending to increase by more than 4 percent this season, there have been reports of online shoppers receiving what appear to be legitimate emails from popular retailers that are actually scams.
The scam email is often personalized and includes a logo of a retailer such as PayPal, Apple, or Amazon, and instructs the receiver to resolve an issue with their online account or order by reentering their bank, credit card, or Social Security numbers.
Beshear said it is sad that con artists take advantage of the Christmas season to trick folks into handing over their personal and financial information, adding that shoppers should “always take the time to scrutinize every email and financial transaction closely, especially throughout the Christmas shopping season.”
Beshear said to also be wary of emails, apps, and social media posts that offer deals, discounts, and sales that are too good to be true, as those offers could be a ploy to collect information. To spot a scam email, website, or app, consider the following:
- Watch for misspelled words.
- Avoid clicking on email hyperlinks. Always independently type in the actual retailer website and sign in.
- Pay attention to the sender’s email address. Scam emails are often from an email address that looks very similar to an official company account, but may have a couple of letters or words that are different.
Staff in Beshear’s Office of Senior Protection and Mediation recommend that shoppers contact the legitimate company to report the email scam. For those who are in Kentucky specifically, Beshear asks that you report these types of email scams to the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection hotline at (888) 432-9257 and complete an online report.