Well, the ghosts, witches and goblins have had their day with Halloween decorations, trick-or-treaters, Halloween parties and haunted houses. Now it’s time to switch and gear up for the two big upcoming holidays – Thanksgiving and Christmas. These two holidays are the biggest of the year as well as the most popular in America.
Because of the amount of people who celebrate these holidays, our next safety series will focus on tips on how to stay safe while preparing and enjoying these holidays. Let’s do a quick overview of upcoming safety topics you can expect to read about.
Our first topic in our holiday safety smarts series will focus on online shopping scams in 2024. Tech thieves (online scammers) are always plotting ways new technology can benefit them. Their pursuit in ways to steal your hard-earned dollars is crafty and endless.
American consumers lost an average of over $1,500 in holiday shopping scams in 2022 per All About Cookies research. Online shopping scams were among the riskiest scams in 2023, according to the most recent Better Business Bureau (BB) Institute Online Scams Report. Not only are these scams common, but 82 percent of those targeted in online shopping scams reported losing money. So, in the newest safety series, we will draw attention to some of the latest safety online pitfalls to avoid in 2024.
We will continue over the upcoming weeks in our Holiday Safety Smarts series ways you can safely decorate your resident both inside and out. We will also explore how to safely order food for your holiday feasts online, which can be convenient and a lifesaver during the holidays. Traditional holiday safety tips when shopping for presents and food will also be included.
We will not forget about those of you traveling over the holidays. A safety article focusing on travel safety during the holidays will also be highlighted. 15 percent of consumers say they have experienced fraud when booking. We will highlight holiday safety dealing with charitable giving along with gift card scams. One in four people has given or received a gift card with no balance.
As you can read, we have a great deal of safety topics to cover, so let’s get started with our first online Holiday Safety Smarts tip.
Beware of Online Markets: Practice extra caution or simply avoid shopping on sites such as Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, NextDoor and other online marketplaces.
If you are buying directly from a person and paying cash, you will not have the same purchase protections you would if you would buy from a reputable retailer.
Where the holidays can contain some dangerous safety pitfalls, it is also a time that brings joy, time off from work and days spent with family. Our goal in our newest Keeping an Eye on Safety series is meant to help protect you so you can cherish your holiday experiences.
