Holiday Season comes with Scam Warnings

By: Corbin Lingenfelter, News Director

Jasper- The Holiday Season is a time for family, friends, and good times. Unfortunately, it also brings one of the most common crimes people fall for, cyber-scams.

Cyber-scams are commonly done through messaging services such as email or social media. Some of the more common include phishing, false charities, and account hacking. Scammers will send their recipient messages asking them to donate or follow a link to a website that can be used to steal a person’s information, money, or just take control of their account.

The 2020 holiday scam report published by the Internet Crime Complaint Center (ICCC) says holiday scams cost Americans over $265-million.

“The Holidays are a time of big generosity,” said Tim Prichett, manager of engineer operations at Matrix Integration in Jasper, “People really like to donate money to charities, churches and fundraisers, which is fantastic, but it’s also an opportunity for people to take advantage of that vulnerability with that generosity.”

Prichett says some of the best ways to protect yourself from falling victim to these scams is to

1) Ask questions

2) If something seems wrong or not accurate it probably is, so do not click on links or respond to emails

If you believe you were the victim of a cyber-scam or fraud, you can file a report with the Indiana State Police here. You can also find tips to avoid holiday scam tips from the FBI through their website.

In an effort to make more people aware of the threat and how to prevent being a victim, the Dubois County Sheriff’s office and Indiana Attorney General’s office will be hosting a seminar at the Older Americans Center in Jasper. This free seminar will take place on October 13^th at 6:00 PM. To register, call the Older Americans Center.