3 Shopping Scams to Watch Out for During the Holidays

Last year scams in New Jersey cost residents $284,590,029. Additionally, 11,793 victims in the Garden State have lost an average of $24,132 each to scammers. Among all states, New Jersey Ranked 6th. We talk about it every week, there's a new scam or one that's altered a bit to fool more unsuspecting victims.

New Yorkers had a worse time, they ranked 3rd overall with 25,112 people losing an average of $30,945 each. A total of $777,099,358.

Pennsylvania consumers got hit hard as well. They should also be on high alert as their state ranked Number 8 in the nation last year with 14,714 victims losing $50 million to online scams.

Experts predict that Black Friday and Cyber Monday scams are expected to reach unprecedented levels this season.

Considering a record $221.8 billion in online shopping sales are projected this holiday season, consumers are likely to lose even more money to scams unless they learn how to avoid them.

Social Catfish is a company that prevents scams by using reverse search technology. They conducted and released a study on the State of Internet Scams 2023 using 2023 data from the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center and the FTC. Here are a few of the worst scams they found, and how to avoid them.

Scammers are advertising incredible deals on social media. Once you click the link, it takes you to a look-a-like website of a major brand. Any gifts purchased will never arrive.

To avoid this they suggest you triple check the spelling of the URL.  Fake sites are often one letter off.

Gift cards are a great holiday gift, and people can save money by purchasing gift cards from resale sites like GiftCards.com. However, scammers are on these sites selling gift cards that arrive with no balance.

They suggest you do a reverse search to verify the seller is legit. If you're still not sure, don't buy it.

Scammers are capitalizing on the increased number of packages delivered during the holidays by emailing or texting a delivery notification with a tracking link. This is a phishing link used for identity theft.

As a rule, you should only track packages on the official UPS, USPS, or FedEx websites.

Christmas is a time to visit family and friends and get away from the daily grind. The holidays can be a wonderful time, but they can also be very expensive. From buying lots of Christmas gifts for family and friends to having to pay for plane tickets and travel, holiday expenses can really add up. But, the good news is that there are some affordable Christmas vacations in the U.S.

One good thing about traveling during the winter months is that it's often the off-season for popular vacation destinations. Of course, the holidays are a busy travel time. That makes late December a difficult time to find a deal for travel. But, if you don't mind the cold and snow, some northern areas of the U.S. offer very good deals. That's true even during the Christmas season.

Some tips for finding a good deal for holiday vacationing include searching a lot of booking websites, comparing different hotel dates to find the most reasonable ones and finding bundle deals. Also, keep your eyes open for special deals on resorts and hotels that are just opening. That's because sometimes, during those opening months, new vacation spots try to attract a loyal clientele by offering special deals. One more tip is to search for airfare rates individually even if you are traveling as a couple or a group. If you put in a search for a group of tickets, the algorithms will often leave out information on one or two cheaper tickets being available. They'll just send you a group of tickets, sitting together, all at the same price. So, you might get a deal if you search for one ticket, instead.

So, what are the best affordable Christmas vacations in the U.S.? Here are some popular spots that won't break the bank.

Frankenmuth, Michigan, is the self-proclaimed Christmas capital city of the world. Okay, so many argue that Strasbourg, France, takes that honor, but Frankenmuth is close, and it's a lot cheaper to get there. No passport needed. The villiage's Franconian-style architecture has given it the loving name "Little Bavaria." Frankenmuth is also home to the world's biggest Christmas store.

Lancaster, Pennsylvania, is located in Pennsylvania Dutch Country, and it offers a beautiful view of snowy hills and Amish country. It's a very old-fashioned type of town, making it a charming winter getaway. There are plenty of fun, holiday-type things to do in Lancaster that won't break the bank.

You might never guess, but Las Vegas, Nevada, is a great spot for an affordable holiday trip. Think about it. Most people wouldn't think to go to "Sin City" for Christmas. Of course, it's much less the "sin" part these days, as Las Vegas offers fun activities for the whole family.

Charlotte, North Carolina, is a great spot to visit in the holiday season, because it's not as crowded as other times during the year. It's also less expensive to visit during the holidays and offers beautiful decorations during Christmas. Don't forget the many holiday markets.

Fort Myers, Florida, is a popular destination for snow birds. But, that's doesn't mean to skip it during the holidays. If you want to get away from the snow and ice, Fort Myers offers a great escape over Christmas and for prices that are more reasonable than in many other areas of Florida.

Boston, Massachusetts, gets cold in the winter, but it also has that classic Christmas charm. It's a big city with a smaller city feel during the holidays. What's more, it's a more affordable winter vacation destination than many other areas, and you won't have the fight the crowds.