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Every holiday season, scammers come out of the woodwork by the hundreds, armed with schemes to separate the unwary from their hard earned money.  These scammers know that in the rush of the holiday season, people are hurried and may not protect their personal information as well as they should.  Here are some of the most common scams found during the holidays.

Charity Scams
Scammers know that many people full of holiday cheer are more likely to give to charitable organizations in the hopes of spreading that cheer to the less fortunate among us.  These scammers send letters and emails to large numbers of people asking for donations for the holiday season when in reality they are just interested in lining their pockets and stealing your credit card information.  Be wary of any charitable organization soliciting donations that you have not heard of or cannot find a reasonable amount of information about on the internet.

Contact Scams
With this scam, the scammers send an email or social networking notification that an old friend or distant relative is interested in reconnecting with you.  Once the link in the email or on the social networking account is clicked, the person’s computer can be infected with any of a number of malware applications, including keystroke loggers to steal your passwords and credit card information.  At this time of year, it is better to be safe than sorry and be very cautious about clicking on links from people that you do not know or do not remember.

Luxury Goods Scams
During the holiday season, many websites spring up offering great deals on luxury merchandise, specifically clothing, jewelry, perfumes, and handbags.  Scammers use these websites to steal credit card numbers, to accept payment for merchandise that will never be delivered, or to sell inferior knockoffs that are worth much less than the website is selling them for.  A good rule of thumb to follow is if a deal seems too good to be true, it is more than likely that the deal is a ruse for a fraudulent activity.

Festive Item Scams
Another scam that is making the rounds this holiday season is the festive item scam.  With this scam, the scammers set up websites offering holiday ringtones, festive screensavers, or downloadable holiday songs and lyrics.  When a consumer clicks on or attempts to purchase one of these festive items, their computer can be affected with malware and viruses that lock up the computer and steal the person’s information.