Juggling Chaos Monthly, Issue 2: Scam-Proof Your Holiday Season

This month’s 15-minute checklist

Each step takes a few minutes and works any time of year, but it pays off most when you’re buying and shipping more than usual.

1. Pay with a credit card online. Credit cards give you strong rights to dispute a charge if an order never arrives. Avoid sellers who want payment by wire, gift card, crypto or a payment app to a stranger. Before buying from a store you don’t know, run through How to Check a Seller Before You Buy.
2. Track packages in the retailer’s app or site. When a text or email says there’s a delivery problem, don’t tap the link. Open the store’s app or type the carrier’s website yourself. Our guide Scam Texts shows what to do if you already tapped.
3. Turn on purchase alerts. In your bank or card app, switch on alerts for every charge, or for charges over a small amount. You’ll spot a fraudulent charge in minutes instead of weeks.
4. Set up new devices before you wrap them. If a child is getting a phone, tablet or game console, set up parental controls first so it’s ready on day one. Start with our App and Game Guides.
5. Check a charity before you give. Give through the charity’s own website rather than a link in a message, and be wary of anyone who pushes you to donate right now. See the charity scams video guide.

One term, explained: smishing

Smishing is phishing by text message. The name blends SMS, the technical name for texting, with phishing. Like an email phishing attempt, a smishing text tries to get you to tap a link, call a number or reply with personal details, usually by claiming something urgent: a package problem, a locked bank account, an unpaid toll.

The fix is the same every time: don’t use the link or number in the message. Go to the company yourself. You can also forward scam texts to 7726 (SPAM) to report them to your mobile carrier. For how phishing differs from malware and ransomware, see Phishing, Malware, and Ransomware: What’s the Difference?

Guides worth your time

• Get Help Now: our new page with who to call after a scam, a hacked account or an online threat. Bookmark it.
• Scam A to Z: look up any scam by name, with the warning sign to watch for.
• Ticket Scams: How to Buy Concert and Event Tickets Safely: for holiday shows and games.
• QR Code Scams: fake codes on parking meters and in the mail.
• Gift Cards Are Only for Gifts: how to buy gift cards safely, and why no one legitimate asks to be paid with one.

One family conversation: the scam talk at the table

Family gatherings are a good time to swap scam stories, because nearly everyone has one. Ask, “Has anyone gotten a weird text or call lately?” Sharing what happened, without judging anyone, helps older relatives and teens recognize the same tricks later.

While you’re together, agree on the call-back rule from last month: if anyone asks for money or a code, hang up and call back on a number you already know. Our video guide Pass It On has more ways to start the conversation.

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