Don’t Get Scammed This Holiday Season!

This is the time of the year when finding the perfect Christmas gift has become priority number one for a lot of us.

But that obsession can cause us to let our guard down a bit and play right into the hands of scammers who are trying desperately to separate us from our hard-earned money.

It's a big problem nationwide with Americans losing $10 billion to scams last year.

According to the personal finance website WalletHub, South Dakota was hit especially hard.

The Mount Rushmore State is ranked fourth in WalletHub's rankings of the States Most Vulnerable to Identity Theft and Fraud, thanks to the nation's biggest average loss amounts due to online identity theft and the third-highest number of people arrested for fraud per capita.

Get our free mobile app

With that in mind, South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley is warning shoppers about potential scams to be wary of this holiday season.

In a press release, Jackley says one common scam is receiving an email or text from the U.S. Postal Service, Federal Express, or another delivery service telling the customer they have a package waiting and to click on the attached link for delivery instructions. He advises to never click on a link of this type and to instead contact the delivery organization directly to confirm the information.

Another scam that increases during the holiday season involves gift cards. People who purchase gift cards should carefully check the card to make sure there has been no visible tampering with the package or the area to scratch off the code.

If you believe you have been a victim of a shopping scam or theft, you are encouraged to call the Consumer Protection Division at consumerhelp@state.sd.us or call 1-800-300-1986 or 605-773-4400.

Consumers can also sign up for Consumer Alerts via email from the Consumer Protection Division at www.consumer.sd.gov. Email addresses will not be shared or sold to a third party.