CHRISTMAS, for most, is the most wonderful season there is in a year. While it is known to be the season when sharing and gift-giving is widespread across the globe, some “opportunistic” people tend to take advantage of this “merry” making.
Guard yourself and know the common “SCAMonsters of Christmas” as described by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
Nemia Capili Lumaino of DTI Davao Region’s Consumer Protection Services Division (CPSD) advised the public, in an interview to practice caution this holiday rush.
Here are the top 12 common scams which innocent consumers fall prey most of the time:
1. Fake charities. It’s best to donate to charities directly instead of giving into the urge of handing over a few coins or bills towards these “representatives”. Check with the Securities and Exchange Commission to know whether the charity is legit.
2. Unregistered holiday raffle promos. Collecting money before being included in a raffle is not a practice done by DTI-registered raffle promos. Be wary.
3. Unregistered Christmas sales. Unregistered Christmas sales may include fake or substandard items. A DTI permit should be present in promotional materials for sales.
4. Online gadget giveaways. These are seen while browsing Facebook. All these promos ask of you is to “like, comment, and share”. The best way to combat these is to contact the company in question or report it to Facebook.
5. Malicious online shopping websites. These come in the form of unsecured e-commerce websites, usually peppered with click advertisements. You’ll either get faulty products or not get your order processed altogether.
6. Seasonal travel scams. Christmas season, other than summer, is the time where people travel more. Scammers often take advantage of this by giving out juicy offers. Watch out.
7. Holiday decors gone wrong. This can be dangerous especially on faulty Christmas lights and those that are powered by electricity. Make sure to look for an ICC sticker, DTI’s “seal of approval”.
8. Holiday SMiShing. You may have received a message indicating you won hundreds of thousands of pesos from a promo you’ve never heard of with a fake DTI permit number. Do not believe it, block the sender, and report it to the National Telecommunications Commission.
9. Networking/pyramid scams. Heard of investing P200 that will eventually reach to P50,000 only after three months? Most likely a scam. Anything that's too good to be true isn't.
10. Cyber thief. These take the form of mobile applications that “give you free stuff” in exchange for your banking information. Make sure you check the reviews and the app’s permissions before you download. Also, never give out your banking details online, ever. Confidentiality is the password.
11. Bogus gift certificates. To get rid of this, DTI advised consumers to buy gift cards and certificates directly from the establishments.
12. ATM Skimming. These take the form of tampered ATM machines set up in a not-so-secure place. It’s hard to tell from first glance, so make sure you check everything surrounding the card, cash slot, screen, and keypad before using any ATM. The best way to avoid scams, not only this Christmas but always is to be aware what they are and how to spot them.
