FBI Cleveland warns shoppers about holiday scams

CLEVELAND, Ohio — The FBI Cleveland Field Office is warning shoppers to watch out for scams this holiday season.

Criminals are trying to steal money and personal information from holiday shoppers.

The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center reported it receives more than 800,000 scam complaints each year, phishing and spoofing being the most common.

Ohio ranked seventh in fraud complaints in 2024. The top scams nationwide in 2024 were:

• Investment scams caused over $6.57 million in total losses (not including cryptocurrency investment fraud losses)
• Business email compromises caused over $2.77 million total losses
• Tech support impersonations caused over $1.46 million total losses
• Personal data breaches caused over $1.45 million total losses
• Non-payments/non-deliveries caused over $785 thousand total losses

Northern Ohio has seen investment scams, tech and government scams and business email fraud most often.

“While it may seem like an uptick during the holidays, the reality is as the volume of shopping transactions increase, so does fraudulent activity,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Greg Nelsen. “Scammers are working every day of the year; there are simply more opportunities during the holidays. Anyone, regardless of their age or how tech-savvy one may be, can become a victim, whether conducting a transaction in person or online, someone with criminal intent will find their next victim.”

Many victims think they’re buying from real online stores but end up giving criminals their credit card information or never receiving items they paid for.

Common holiday scams include fake online shopping deals through phishing emails, non-delivery scams where items never arrive, social media scams offering fake gift cards, fake smartphone apps that steal information, work-from-home scams promising easy money, gift card payment requests and fake charities.

The FBI offers tips to avoid these scams:

• Don’t open suspicious emails or click on unknown links
• Don’t scan QR codes from unsolicited packages
• Use strong, different passwords for banking and credit accounts
• Avoid websites or ads offering unrealistic discounts
• Be careful when downloading mobile apps
• Never wire money directly to sellers. Don’t pay with pre-paid gift cards
• Use a credit card for online shopping and check statements regularly
• Keep all evidence like texts, emails, screenshots and phone numbers when reporting
• If a scammer threatens you or tells you to buy gift cards or gold bars, hang up and call the FBI or police

The FBI reminds residents to apply the idea, “If a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is.”

If you’re scammed, contact your bank immediately. Also contact local police and file a complaint at www.IC3.gov within 72 hours for the best chance of recovering funds.