Tips to Avoid Christmas Scams

Here are some tips and suggestions to help you avoid common scams over the Christmas and Holiday period.

• Don't Panic! If an email/message is 'urgent' or there's a 'big problem', take a couple of minutes to step back and think. Scammers want you to panic!
• Don't click links in things! If there's a link in an email/message that really wants you to click it, don't! For things like banks, shopping sites or parcel tracking sites use their main site/official app to login/check.
• Don't trust phone numbers! If there's a phone number in an email or txt message, etc. find a number on an official site/app and call it directly. Like the number on the back of your credit card.
• When shopping, if something seems to good to be true - it probably is!
• Be careful with what look like bargains on social media, they might lead to a fake/scam site.
• Beware things with only amazing reviews, that's a big red flag. Nothing can be that good! Visit the main site of the store/the official app to see if it's legitimate.

If you're not sure if something is a scam, this tool from Citizens Advice in England gives a good guide.

What to do if you think you might be the victim of a scam

• Don't be ashamed! ANYONE can be the victim of a scam. It is nothing to be ashamed about. Tell someone what's happened and get some help.
• Change any compromised logins/passwords. If you might have entered or given someone the login to a site, try logging in and change the password if possible. Many accounts also give you the option to 'log out Everywhere' or something like that. This can help kick scammers out if they're logged in on another device.
• Contact your bank. If you think money has been taken, or could be taken from you, contact your bank/wherever you keep your money. Most places like banks have systems in place to deal with scams. They should also be able to tell you if you need to contact local law enforcement.

And again, don't trust any numbers you might get in messages claiming to be your bank. Using the contact information on their main website/official app or on a credit card or bank statement.

Other ways to help protect yourself and others from scams

Use a Password Manager

I use a Password Manager to store things like passwords and I couldn't survive without one! I keep everything in it; not just passwords but my credit cards, bank accounts, and other info like my household utilities, etc. I want EVERYONE to use one a Password Manager!

You create an account and then you can add all your passwords into it. You have a 'master' password that gets you into your account. There are apps for your computer and phone, so you can get your passwords anywhere.

Password managers also allow you to create really secure (i.e. complicated!) passwords with their password creators. As you only need to remember one 'master' password to get into your 'password vault(s)', you can let the password manager do all the hard work of remembering your other passwords, and other information. Many password managers also have family plans (where you can share items with family members) and emergency access (so you can get into a vault if there's an emergency, such as if you're suddenly ill or something).

Why not get a family plan for your loved ones this Christmas?! Helping people to stay safe is a great gift!!!

Here are some good Password Managers - both paid and free:

• 1Password - This is what I use! It costs from about $36USD (£25) a year. I've got a family plan, which I share with other family members. As well as having your own 'personal vaults', you can also have 'shared vaults' to share specific items with others in your 'family'. A Family plan is about $60USD (£50) a year.
• Bitwarden - Its basic version, which does quite a lot, is FREE. Premium plans start at $10USD (£8ish) a year, with its family plan being $40USD (£30ish) a year.
• Proton Pass - It's basic version is also FREE. Premium plans start at $40USD (£30ish) a year, with its family plan being $65USD (£50ish) a year.

Use Two Factor Authentication on Accounts

2FA (or sometimes 2FV - two factor verification) is when you need an extra step to log into something. This can be a code to your phone, or better rotating number codes for extra levels of security. And now there are also 'Passkeys' which link security to your biometrics rather than a password.

2FA can normally be set-up in Password Managers (like above, although not all free options have 2FA features) or using a free Authenticator app.

There are apps from Google and Microsoft. I use an app called Ente Auth which can also work on computers as well as phones!

Computer software to help stop scams

If you're worried about loved ones/friends who might be vulnerable to scams, there's software like Seraph Secure which can be installed on their computer. It detects and blocks 'remote access' software which is often used by phone scammers to connect to a victims computer so they can try to access your online banking, etc. There's a free version of Seraph Secure, as well as paid plans with more features. It works on Windows and macOS. The software is very safe and is made by one of the biggest anti-scam people on the internet!