A holiday gift to yourself: Avoid becoming the victim of a scam

The best gift we can give ourselves during the coming holiday season is not becoming the victim of a scam. This year it’s going to be tough to manage that. Thieves are constantly fine-tuning their skills.

Your job is to know what form scams against you can take and to sharpen your intuition when things don’t seem right.

The fact to keep in your mind at all times is that scammers want your money and you need to keep them from getting it.

If your senior center holds a seminar on avoiding scams, go. Take notes. If they don’t have such seminars or classes, ask for one to be held. You won’t be the only one to benefit from it.

If you buy online, don’t click any links — including from search engines — to get to any store. Type in the name yourself.

It’s too easy for a scammer to create a false address that looks correct, but will instead take you to their fake website.

If you get email that says your package has been delayed, don’t click any link in the email. If you get a call demanding that you pay extra shipping fees, hang up and call the seller on a number you know to be correct.

Gift card scams are big now, and most requests you will get to pay for something with a gift card will be a scam.

If you get a phone call where you’re told you owe a bill — or that your account is in jeopardy for some reason — don’t let yourself be pressured into acting quickly.

Hang up and call back on a number you know is correct. Ask if they’ve tried to reach you.

In fact, feel free to be suspicious of any phone call or email you weren’t expecting if you’re asked to give any information or money. Whether it’s charity requests, tech support, your bank, be suspicious.