MiCamp Offers Consumers Tips to Avoid Common Scams This Holiday Season

PHOENIX, AZ--(Marketwired - Dec 7, 2016) -   With the holidays upon us, MiCamp is advising consumers to be on the lookout for common scams, particularly during the busy shopping season when defenses are down and spending is up, according to CEO Michael Infante of MiCamp, a trusted leader for EMV payment integrations for restaurant and hospitality industries.

"Unfortunately, credit card fraud tends to increase during the busy holiday shopping season, peaking on shipping cutoff dates and Christmas Eve," said Infante. "Forty percent of fraudulent online credit card transactions occur during October, November, and December."

Some of the most common scams during the holiday season:

Gift cards are an easy target for cyber criminals, who use scanners to collect the digital information stored on gift cards before they are purchased. Once the unsuspecting consumer activates the card, the funds are depleted. Inspect gift card packaging to make sure it doesn't appear tampered with, and that the PIN is still intact.

Delivery scams are rampant during the holidays, with victims falling prey to email schemes alerting them that a package was unable to be delivered to their home. These emails, which often appear to be coming from actual shipping companies such as FedEx and UPS, instruct recipients to click and print a bogus document in order to claim their package at the post office. Doing so invites malware on the victim's computer, allowing hackers to steal personal information such as passwords and credit card numbers. Never click links in emails from unknown senders.

Shoppers short on cash during the holiday season can become easy targets for loan scams. It may start with an email that appears to come from a familiar bank offering fast and easy loans. Clicking the link leads to a legitimate-looking website where victims are prompted to input personal details, putting this sensitive information right into the hands of criminals. Banks never will contact their customers to request personal financial information in this way. If you have any doubts, contact the bank yourself using the phone number on your bank statements, not a phone number provided in the email in question.

MiCamp Solutions offers the latest advancements in EMV payment integrations to increase security while maximizing business operations. For information visit micamp.com.