5 Ways to Prevent Holiday Fraud

5 Ways to Prevent Holiday Fraud

The holiday season tends to be a time when we spend considerably more money than usual; indeed, the average shopper with a budget intends to spend $1,115 on holiday expenses this year, according to a recent survey by Lincoln Financial Group. Unfortunately, scammers realize that we tend to spend freely this time of year, so many of them will step up their efforts to claim a share of your hard-earned money.

Wise shoppers will take the following precautions to protect themselves from the most common forms of holiday theft and fraud.

Every time you use a credit card, you're increasing the odds that someone will get a hold of your card information. For instance, handing a credit card to a salesperson gives them the chance to write down the number and use it or sell it, while swiping your card at a terminal exposes you to card skimmers (more on those below).

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Source: Fool.com