The holidays and the start of a new year are a busy time for almost everyone. This hectic season can create an opportunity for scammers to use our busyness — and good intentions — to their advantage.

Impersonation schemes, where scammers pose as family, friends, and acquaintances to steal money and information, are skyrocketing. The Federal Trade Commission estimates that in 2024 alone, Americans lost almost $3 billion to scammers pretending to be somebody else.

A common strategy for scammers is to use email to contact unsuspecting people. Phone calls or texts can also occur. These messages will often ask recipients to participate in a discreet or secret task, often related to buying gifts or doing acts of charity, therefore shielding their activities from other people.

The “ask” may come immediately or in subsequent messages but will usually consist of a request for a gift card or funds to be sent to the scammer. Sometimes, requests for donations can be followed with a link to a fraudulent giving website, especially around the holidays.

They also may consist of a request for a password or private data such as bank information, Social Security numbers, and passwords that could be useful to a scammer for other criminal activities.

Once the funds/ information is transferred, they are usually gone, along with the scammer. The repercussions for individuals and organizations can be hard, including lost funds and identity theft.

To protect yourself, follow these simple rules:

• Check the email address or phone number that the message is coming from. Is the email or phone number one that is associated with your pastor, friend, or coworker? If it isn’t, it is very likely a scam. Some hackers can even make the correct email address appear, so look for other context clues in the email or text like incorrect contact information and misspellings.
• Remember, clergy across our conference, conference staff, and Bishop Lanette will never ask you via email or text message for gift cards, money transfers, or private information. Be extremely suspicious of any such requests. If there is any question about a request, always follow up via a known, trusted phone number.
• Scammers try to create a sense of secrecy and/ or urgency, especially during busy times of the year. Fight back by taking your time and looking for the clues that can denote a scam.
• Don’t click on any links in a suspicious email or text. These links often redirect recipients to scam websites or allow hackers to steal private information.
• Consider implementing an organization-wide or family password that is never shared electronically. This provides a secondary level of protections when confirming a request with a message’s sender.

Unfortunately, scammers use our desire to help others against us. Take care and time to get the full picture of what the request is, and who it is coming from. Most of the time, slowing down will allow common sense to show that something is indeed a scam. If there is any question, reach out the requester via a trusted phone number to make sure.

By following these tips, we can continue to have a busy, meaningful holiday season while successfully avoiding the actions of scammers.

To learn more, read this article that appeared in ResourceUMC about avoiding email scams.