Attorney General Patrick Morrisey is urging consumers to stay vigilant during the busy holiday shopping season to avoid falling victim to seasonal scams. With the surge of shopping activity around Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Morrisey warns that scammers are eager to exploit unsuspecting shoppers.
“Whether you’re shopping online or in stores, the holiday season provides scammers with opportunities to steal identities or money,” Morrisey said. “Be vigilant with your personal information to keep it out of their hands.”
Morrisey recommends limiting the use of debit cards and instead using credit cards, which offer stronger protections for disputing charges if goods or services fail to arrive. Debit cards, he noted, provide no special protections and are equivalent to cash.
For online shoppers, the attorney general advises verifying the legitimacy of websites and coupons. Consumers should be cautious of sites with spelling errors, low-quality images, or mismatched URLs. Secure payment systems should be used, and shoppers should ensure websites begin with “https://” which indicates a secure page.
In-store shoppers are advised to leave Social Security cards at home, lock purchases in their trunks and watch for card skimmers.
Skimming occurs when devices illegally installed on or inside ATMs, point-of-sale (POS) terminals, or fuel pumps capture card data and record cardholders’ PIN entries.
Morrisey also recommends the use of RFID-blocking wallets to protect against electronic pickpocketing.
Anyone who suspects they have been scammed is encouraged to contact the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division at 1-800-368-8808 or visit the office online at www.ago.wv.gov.