{"id":36891,"date":"2021-12-13T15:49:29","date_gmt":"2021-12-13T20:49:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/?p=36891"},"modified":"2021-12-13T15:49:29","modified_gmt":"2021-12-13T20:49:29","slug":"aarp-fraud-watch-network-survey-shows-holiday-online-senior-shoppers-targeted","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/2021\/12\/aarp-fraud-watch-network-survey-shows-holiday-online-senior-shoppers-targeted\/","title":{"rendered":"AARP Fraud Watch Network Survey Shows Holiday Online Senior Shoppers Targeted"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>An AARP Fraud Watch Network report is alerting consumers of scams they could encounter over the holidays. Of those surveyed, 75 percent<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>percent reported they have been targeted or experienced at least one form of fraud that can be tied to the holidays. <span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u201cScammers are out in force during the holidays to try to steal money or sensitive information from consumers,\u201d said Kathy Stokes, AARP director of fraud prevention programs. \u201cOnline shopping, shipping gifts and even charitable donations can become tools for scammers to use in their schemes. Knowing the warning signs is the first step you can take to spot and avoid scams.\u201d <span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Three quarters of adults surveyed said they plan on shopping online for the holidays, but consumers need to know the red flags before logging in. Over a third of adults reported they experienced fraud when buying a product through an online advertisement. Some online advertisements can download malicious software onto devices or lead the shopper to a cloned site of a legitimate store.<\/p>\n<p>Officials said scams can also occur when shoppers search online for customer service contact information. Nearly half of adults surveyed believe the customer support number found at the top of an online search can be trusted. Online ads that appear to be a legitimate company\u2019s customer service information can be a scammer\u2019s attempt to get consumers to call them instead.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Use a billing statement or other information obtained directly from the company to find legitimate numbers, officials advised. Also, a retailer will never ask for your log-in information when providing customer support.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"s1\"><span class=\"s2\"><!--more--><\/span><\/span>Over half of adults said they are planning to ship gifts to friends or family over the holidays. Packages on front porches are a common target for thieves, with one in four adults reporting they lost a package in this way. Additionally, scammers send fake shipping notifications about an issue to get consumers to disclose payment or sensitive personal information.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>More than a third of adults reported receiving fake carrier notifications, officials said.<\/p>\n<p>The survey outlined payment options that could leave consumers with little or no fraud protection. Peer-to-peer apps like Cash App, Zelle and Venmo are gaining popularity with 45 percent of adults reporting they plan to use one this holiday season, but they do not offer fraud protection. Avoid using these apps to make purchases from people or businesses you do not know.<\/p>\n<p>Nearly 70 percent of Americans will use their debit cards this holiday season, but debit cards do not offer the same protections as a credit card. The report recommends using a credit card for online purchases for better protections in the event of a fraud. <span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>The AARP Fraud Watch Network is a free resource that equips consumers with up-to-date knowledge to spot and avoid scams, and connects those targeted by scams with our fraud helpline specialists who provide support and guidance on what to do next.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Anyone can call the helpline at 877-908-3360. The Fraud Watch Network also offers free, facilitated peer discussion groups that seek to provide emotional support for those experiencing fraud; and advocates at the federal, state, and local levels\u202fto enact policy changes that protect consumers and enforce laws.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>An AARP Fraud Watch Network report is alerting consumers of scams they could encounter over the holidays. Of those surveyed, 75 percent\u00a0 percent reported they have been targeted or experienced at least one form of fraud that can be tied to the holidays. \u00a0 \u201cScammers are out in force during the holidays to try to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":89,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36891","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-business-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\r\n<title>AARP Fraud Watch Network Survey Shows Holiday Online Senior Shoppers Targeted - Saratoga Business Journal<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/2021\/12\/aarp-fraud-watch-network-survey-shows-holiday-online-senior-shoppers-targeted\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"AARP Fraud Watch Network Survey Shows Holiday Online Senior Shoppers Targeted - Saratoga Business Journal\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"An AARP Fraud Watch Network report is alerting consumers of scams they could encounter over the holidays. Of those surveyed, 75 percent\u00a0 percent reported they have been targeted or experienced at least one form of fraud that can be tied to the holidays. \u00a0 \u201cScammers are out in force during the holidays to try to [&hellip;]\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/2021\/12\/aarp-fraud-watch-network-survey-shows-holiday-online-senior-shoppers-targeted\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Saratoga Business Journal\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-12-13T20:49:29+00:00\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jake Van Ness\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jake Van Ness\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\r\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/2021\/12\/aarp-fraud-watch-network-survey-shows-holiday-online-senior-shoppers-targeted\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/2021\/12\/aarp-fraud-watch-network-survey-shows-holiday-online-senior-shoppers-targeted\/\",\"name\":\"AARP Fraud Watch Network Survey Shows Holiday Online Senior Shoppers Targeted - Saratoga Business Journal\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2021-12-13T20:49:29+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-12-13T20:49:29+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/#\/schema\/person\/a11ec438b5f0e57f1156754ba3931b86\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/2021\/12\/aarp-fraud-watch-network-survey-shows-holiday-online-senior-shoppers-targeted\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/2021\/12\/aarp-fraud-watch-network-survey-shows-holiday-online-senior-shoppers-targeted\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/2021\/12\/aarp-fraud-watch-network-survey-shows-holiday-online-senior-shoppers-targeted\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"AARP Fraud Watch Network Survey Shows Holiday Online Senior Shoppers Targeted\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/\",\"name\":\"Saratoga Business Journal\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/#\/schema\/person\/a11ec438b5f0e57f1156754ba3931b86\",\"name\":\"Jake Van Ness\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8083519989e12032abdd06a668982ef4?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8083519989e12032abdd06a668982ef4?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Jake Van Ness\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/author\/jakev\/\"}]}<\/script>\r\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"AARP Fraud Watch Network Survey Shows Holiday Online Senior Shoppers Targeted - Saratoga Business Journal","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/2021\/12\/aarp-fraud-watch-network-survey-shows-holiday-online-senior-shoppers-targeted\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"AARP Fraud Watch Network Survey Shows Holiday Online Senior Shoppers Targeted - Saratoga Business Journal","og_description":"An AARP Fraud Watch Network report is alerting consumers of scams they could encounter over the holidays. 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