(BPT) - There always seems to be a never-ending list of tasks during the holiday season, from booking flights to purchasing gifts for loved ones. As you prepare for the holidays, it's also critical to keep an eye out for online scams that aim to steal your money and your joy.

Nearly 1 in 3 consumers reported falling victim to an online scam during the 2024 holiday season. Scams are becoming more sophisticated every year, making them more convincing and harder to detect.

"The holidays are scammers' busy season. From fake travel websites and false package delivery messages to phony charity donations, scammers take advantage of people's spirit of generosity and bustling holiday schedule," said Diedra Porché, National Head of Community and Business Development at JPMorganChase. "Your best defense to protect yourself and loved ones is to stay educated on common and emerging scam tactics."

During the week of November 16, Chase will host over 20 fraud and scam education workshops across the country, in coordination with local law enforcement and other local partners. These workshops, which are free and open to the public, aim to educate the public on recognizing scams and empowering individuals with the knowledge and tools they need to protect themselves. Chase hosts over 1,000 fraud and scam education workshops per year across its more than 5,000 branches.

Don't let the threat of scams dampen your festivities. Consider the following tips to help you celebrate safely.

Beware of unrealistic deals

When you have so many gifts to buy, you'll want to look for bargains. However, make sure that the discounts you're offered are legitimate. Scammers often lure buyers with massive discounts, especially on popular and sold-out items, often using fake websites or social media ads. If you think, "This deal is too good to be true," listen to your gut. It's likely a scam.

Shop with trusted retailers

When shopping online or on social media, make sure to only buy from trusted websites and vendors. Review the website's URL and ensure that it starts with "https://" (the "s" stands for secure) as scammers can create fake websites to look like legitimate retailers. If you're unfamiliar with a store, search for the name with terms like "scam," "complaints" or "reviews" to uncover any red flags.

Be especially cautious when making purchases from social media marketplaces. Always verify the product exists before purchasing and use payments with purchase protections, like a credit card, to pay.

Gift card scams typically begin with outreach from a scammer, often pretending to be someone else, who urgently pressures victims into buying specific gift cards and sharing the card numbers and PINs. Scammers use various stories, such as pretending to be government officials, tech support, friends or family in emergencies, prize promoters, utility companies or online romantic interests. Remember: Legitimate organizations will never demand payment by gift card, and requests for gift card payments are a sign of a scam.

How you pay matters

Not all payment methods offer purchase protection. When buying gifts for the holiday season, consider using your debit and credit cards, as they may provide protections that allow you to dispute a charge if you don't receive what you paid for or it's not as you expected. If you purchase something using payment methods like Zelle^®, wire transfers, gift cards or cash, and it turns out to be a scam, it's unlikely you'll get your money back. Only use Zelle^® to pay others you know and trust.

Seek out free resources

Give yourself peace of mind while shopping by using digital tools to monitor your personal information. For example, Chase Credit Journey^® offers free credit and identity monitoring. This includes alerts to let you know if your data is exposed in a data breach or on the dark web. You don't have to be a Chase customer to use it.

To learn more about how to help protect yourself from scams this holiday season, visit Chase.com/Security.

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