How do you protect yourself from holiday scams?

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How do you protect yourself from holiday scams? AARP conducted a survey of 2,842 U.S. adults ages 18 and older to understand their experience with a variety of scams that are common around the holidays. The study explored experiences with purchasing gift cards, shipping and receiving packages, and charitable giving. In addition, the survey tested the knowledge of adults about several specific scams. (Find out more...)

Some of the key findings show:

• More education is needed to raise awareness of scams that are common during the holidays.
• One in five U.S. adults have given and/or received a gift card that had no funds on it.
• Only about half of U.S. adults conduct research before making a monetary donation to charitable causes or organizations.
• U.S. adults say that packages are left outside of their home without requiring a signature.