City of Shenandoah Provides Tips on Protecting Yourself this Holiday Season

SHENANDOAH, Texas -- 'Tis the season .... for not only joy and goodwill but for scammers and thieves!!

City staff recently received emails supposedly from Republic Waste, our local trash vendor, stating that the recipient was behind on their trash bill. Since Shenandoah residents don't have a trash charge (and neither do city employees), we feel that this scam is directed toward the city email system; but it is a good reminder that scammers go out full force this time of year.

Emailed links: Don't click without scrutinizing the source of that sale mail. You could end up at a look-alike site out to collect your credit card details and other info. At checkout, make sure the browser shows a lock symbol and a web address starting with an "https" (versus "http"), meaning it's secure.

Fake shipping notices show up as an email purportedly from a big retailer (one that you may or may not have ordered from) or from a shipper such as UPS or FedEx. Usually, it's a vague warning of a shipping delay or some other problem to entice you to click on a link and get more information. Instead, go to the retailer or shipper's site directly, and look up your order status using details such as an order confirmation or tracking number.

"Charity" donation requests - check into the charity to make sure it's legit. (BBB's Give.org, is a good resource.) Give directly via a channel you know is correct — say, the nonprofit's web site — to thwart attempts where the charity is real but the donation request is a phishing attempt.

Unusual Forms of Payments – When making your holiday purchases be wary of anyone asking for a strange form of payment as they often can't be traced or undone. These may include: Prepaid debit or gift cards, Wire Transfers, Third parties.

Free Gift Cards – Who doesn't love free stuff especially around the holidays? Scammers hope to take advantage of that fondness through phishing emails and pop-up ads offering gift cards. If you come across one of these offers you should not open the email as it can be a phishing attempt. But, if you do, don't click the links. Instead, mark the email as SPAM or JUNK. Also do not share any personal information to receive the card as the scammers will use the information to steal your identity later.

Better to be safe than sorry and not let the "grinches" take your joy... or your money.