It doesn’t matter what it is, there’s always a scam based on it.
As February 14th approaches, in addition to the usual horrible rom-com movies and terrible greeting card poetry, there are some specific types of fraud you’ll want to avoid.
Phishing
If you get an email that says your online floral purchase didn’t process and that you need to re-enter your credit card information, it’s a safe bet you’re looking at a phishing message.
The link embedded in this email will take you to a site that might look legitimate, but is really only designed to steal your card information and possibly install malware on your computer. Delete the message with extreme prejudice. If you think it might be legit, contact the company directly, but most likely you’ll find out it was a scam.
It’s another example of how crooks adapt to the situation. 99% of the time, if you received this message, you’d know it was a scam. However, around the middle of February, there are hundreds of thousands of people to whom the phrase “just bought flowers online” applies. When this message goes out, it’s probably going to find a lot of potential victims.
Malware
I dislike e-cards. I really do. I don’t think I’ve opened one since around 1998, actually. To me, they’re either a waste of time (when they’re out of the blue) or a way to say “wanted to technically contact you, but didn’t want to spend $2 on a card and the sound of your voice is like nails on a chalkboard to me” (when they’re sent for holidays and birthdays). In any case, they’re never entertaining or sincere.
They’re also a source of malware infections. When you get an email that says you’ve got an e-card, proceed with caution. If you want to read it, the best thing you can do is contact the supposed sender directly to find out if they actually sent it to you. However, even the e-card sites that aren’t trying to nuke your computer with viruses can still annoy by installing adware. In any case, make sure your virus and spyware protection are up-to-date.
What I do is just delete them outright. If somebody asks, “Hey, ‘ja get that e-card I sentcha?” just reply, “Yeah—it was really great, thanks!” and leave it at that. Most of the time, you’ll be fine.
Identity Theft
People are looking for dates around this time of year, too. If you’re really desperate to have a date on 2/14, I guess my first piece of advice would be to ask yourself some tough questions, but if you can’t get past the idea of being single on V-Day, watch out when it comes to online dating sites.
First, there are fake dating sites designed to harvest credit card and personal information, putting you at risk of fraud. There are also people who post fake profiles, in an attempt to lure you into revealing personal information that can be used for identity crimes. Stick with the larger, more well-known sites, use a screen name instead of your real name, and set up a new email account with one of the free web-based providers. That way, you’re covered if they sell your address to spammers, and no weirdoes end up with your “real” email address. It makes it easier to disappear.
Don’t trust links to any dating sites that come in the form of unsolicited emails or via Twitter or Facebook. Those are almost always going to not be what is promised.
If it were me, I’d probably skip the online avenue altogether and consider attending a social event. Everywhere from churches to bowling alleys have singles events this time of year. Maybe try that; at least you won’t have to give up your credit card numbers.