‘Tis the Season-5 Ways to Fight Holiday Fraud | Guiding You Forward

The holiday season is upon us! And even though we’re feeling pretty jolly in the podcast lounge, we’re discussing something very important—holiday fraud.

Rob Woellhaf, vice president of fraud management at Mountain America Credit Union, is helping us to recognize fraud and keep our money and personal information safe.

Tune in to this episode of the Guiding You Forward podcast to learn about:

• The golden rule of fraud—if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.

• How to steer clear of fake charities.

• The two fraud absolutes.

During the holidays, the types of fraud are not any different than at any other time of year, but the volume of fraud cases increases exponentially. As Rob likes to say, same old scam, different flavor!

Fraudsters have a way of turning this season into the least wonderful time of the year. But Rob has five scams to watch out for to keep your silver bells jingling. The first one is simple—if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Variations of this scam include free offers, hard-to-get items that are now in stock, amazing low prices on popular items and more. Rob offers tips to vet these offers before buying.

This is the time of year when everyone seems to feel the most charitable. Most people want to do what they can for those in need. Fraudsters like to take full advantage of this and play on your heart strings. In the video above Rob tells us how to research charities before giving—whether it’s a large national or worldwide charity or just a small local fundraiser—to make sure it’s legitimate.

Rob also gives us two absolutes in fraud that are always big red flags. Watch the full video to get these and the rest of Rob’s tips to keep the fraudsters at bay this holiday season.

Have more questions about fraud? Visit macu.com for more tips plus information on what to do if you think you’ve been a victim of fraud.