ORDOJ: Don’t Let the Grinch Steal Your Money this Holiday Season

SALEM, OR - State Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum is reminding Oregonians to be vigilant when using a mobile device to buy holiday gifts or to make end-of-the-year charitable donations.

“Oregonians are extremely generous during the holidays," Rosenblum said in a statement. "While it is so easy to buy a gift or make a donation with the swipe of a phone, it’s also just as easy for the Grinch to steal your information—or even to trick you into donating to a fake charity."

With mobile shopping and giving on the rise, scammers are turning their attention to mobile.

There are some easy ways to make sure you are cyber safe all year long, according to the ORDOJ. Here are some tips to protect you from online fraud:

• Only shop from secure online sites. Look for “https” in front of the website URL.
• Avoid public and unsecured Wi-Fi connections. Instead, wait to make your purchase from a secure and password protected connection.
• Use a credit card. Debit cards are less secure online since they link directly to your checking account.
• Avoid unsolicited e-mails, text messages and pop-up ads from charities or retailers.
• Only give to registered charities. Search Oregon DOJ’s database of registered charities to make sure the charity is registered in Oregon.
• Check with the IRS to make sure your charitable gift is tax deductible, and ask for a receipt.
• Say “no” to emails or texts that pressure you to make a donation. Take your time to decide if a charity is right for you before donate.
• Never wire money or make a donation on a pre-paid card.
• Watch out for imposters. Bogus charities often use similar names or logos as more reputable charities.
• Be skeptical about deals on unfamiliar websites, or sites that advertise extremely low prices. If a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is!

- Image via Shutterstock