Incidents of fraud are increasing as December holidays draw closer. Taking these simple steps can help avoid a humbug this season.

At this time of year, many homeowners are considering last minute winterizations and preparations for the coming season. Enter the home improvement scammers. 

As we rush into the season for holiday celebrations, it’s necessary to be reminded that this time of giving is also the season for scamming. While ongoing fraud and scam activities remain in play, here are some of the seasonal crimes we can expect.

Junk mail typically is not criminal activity but is a part of aggressive marketing from our internet providers and the online search engines. There are a number of steps you can take to limit the amount of junk clogging your inbox.

Approximately 92 percent of the population — 307 million Americans — are connected to the internet, and 270 million have social media accounts. With this much activity, protecting information and money is all but impossible. But there are precautions you can take to limit your vulnerability.

In general, people are hard-wired to pick up the phone and when doing so, behave in a polite manner. And criminals are adept in the use of scammer techniques that play on emotion. The combination too often results in victims complying with criminal requests.

When the temperature rises, so does the volume of scam phone calls and text messages. Staying safe is challenging but not complicated. Here are some tips for self-defense against these scams:

Scams that try to capitalize on the death of a person have been slowly growing in frequency, increasing dramatically during the pandemic. Here are some things to keep in mind to protect yourself.

A shortage of college housing provides criminals with opportunities. Avoiding these scams means developing a disciplined approach to apartment hunting. 

Tracking and hacking are powerful techniques used by criminals to make your life miserable. But you can take a number of steps to minimize your risk.