With gift shopping on the upswing, scam pirates are out in full force.

The period from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, more than 124 million Americans made online purchases, totalling a record $41.1 billion in 2024, according to the Iowa Bankers Association website.

More than half of Americans shopped either online or in person during that time.

Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird said in a media release that she wants consumers to be cautious.

“It’s important to watch out for deals that seem too good to be true and know who you are giving to,” Bird said. “Scammers are looking to prey on Iowans’ generosity and those looking for good deals.”

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, scammers stole a record $16.6 billion in 2024, which is a 33% increase from 2023.

Eighty-three percent of those losses involved the use of the internet or other technology according to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center’s annual report.

More than a quarter million complaints reported money lost to a scam, with an average loss of more than $19,000.

“They prey on people with big hearts,” Hamilton County Sheriff Alex Pruismann said.

“Around the holidays, the scams get pretty busy.”

It isn’t just the bigger cities or other states dealing with scams, it’s everywhere, warns Tim Kluender, president of WCF Bank in Webster City. He said they see a lot of activity from scammers and try to help with information.

“We see a lot of elder exploitation,” Kluender said. “We put a lot of information on our website network blog.”

Todd Cordes, executive vice president and chief information security officer at WCF Bank keeps up-to-date with courses trying to avoid bank customers losing their assets.

“It’s happening here. There is a lot of potential fraud here in Webster City,” he said.

Cordes said the bank is able to circumvent some of this if customers come to the bank for a money order or transfer of funds.

But they can’t catch all of it.

As purchases increase during the holidays, consumers need to check their credit card statements, checking and debit accounts, to insure they have made the purchases charged to them.

“I know we are dealing with it every day,” said Kyle Swon, loan officer with First State Bank.

Shopping local stores and getting to know your business people is one of the safer ways to make purchases. It helps to keep receipts or write down what and where you bought it, but scams and fraud can strike anyone.

Even the non-profits soliciting funds have to be scrutinized. Keep track of donations to the organizations usually supported and make sure the name is correct. New solicitations occur each year, and scammers can change just a few words to imitate a legitimate organization.

Consumers need to be cautious and family members should be ready to assist older family members by checking accounts regularly.

“We get a lot of calls with charges on their debit cards,” Debbie Pruismann, communication manager with People’s Credit Union. “That goes back to Shazam, and they begin working on it, then we immediately put a block on their card and we can get a new card for the same day.”

The Iowa Bankers Association encourages shoppers to take precautions:

-Buy from trusted websites to avoid fraudulent sellers. Some scams involve setting up fake websites, with eye-catching discounts

-Use secure Wi-Fi when making purchase to protect personal information

-Watch out for package delivery scams which spike during the holiday season.

Package delivery problem texts or emails have increased recently and appear to be sent by UPS, Fedex, or USPS. During the holidays people who don’t remember what they have ordered respond back, setting themselves up for additional problems. To handle the delivery notices, do as follows:

If a package was unexpected, delete the message immediately. If you get a delivery alert but did not sign up for a delivery alert, contact the delivery company directly. Check the official communication policies of the carrier to confirm what is legitimate. If a delivery company asks for personal details or payment information to complete a delivery, it’s a scam.

Consumers should verify their purchases in a different way, and should not call or email any numbers and provide personal financial information. Know where items are purchased from to avoid scams.

Fraudulent text messages or emails used to be easier to spot if there were misspellings in the web address, poor grammar or overly flashing designs, according to the Iowa Bankers Association.

“Now consider how AI –artificial intelligence –is coming into play,” said Sheriff Pruismann, “checking the grammar, checking the language used to help, but with AI they are flawless. AI is creating beautifully written emails.”

Some of the scams are old, said Sheriff Pruismann. The grandparents who are contacted by a grandchild, asking for money is an old method, but is still happening, as it hasn’t gone away. Pruismann encourages taking a direct approach.

“Get off the phone with the caller, and call the grandchild or family member directly,” he said. “Don’t give any additional personal information.”

Receiving a notice about missing jury duty is another scam. “If you get a notice that you missed jury duty and you need to call this number and pay a fine or we will issue a warrant for your arrest, don’t do it,” the Sheriff said. “We would never do this.”

“The romance scams are a big, big problem,” Cordes said, “We have a concern that during the holidays, we will see people fall for this when they are feeling lonely,”

Cordes said the small amounts requested at the beginning will escalate, and it is an entire industry to build relationships through websites and emails.

“‘Pig Butchering’ is a situation where when you reply back and eventually they talk you into sending a little money, then a little more, until they bleed you out of money,” said Cordes. “This is a long play, hoping for short term money also.”

Sheriff Pruismann encourages consumers to think through the call or email and call the bank if something seems off.

“Check your checking account to verify charges” the Sheriff continued, “If a lower amount is not caught, they will know you are not checking your account, and the next charge will be much greater.”

The Sheriff said he doesn’t think scammers just target the holiday shopping season.

“When it gets cold, they get bored,” he surmised, “then they start out pretty hot and heavy.”

Local banks try to help with information on their websites. WCF Bank keeps a blog, which can be found on their website: https://wcfbank.com under the “about us” tab and then under news.

First State Bank also has teamed up with the American Bankers Association and has a number of fraud prevention resources located on their website at https://www.fsbwc.com/fraud-prevention

Availa bank has a tab on their website https://www.availa.bank/security-resources/

People’s Credit Union posts on their Facebook page various alerts, but also hand out materials to people who come in.

“I get alerts from the FTC –Federal Trade Commission– and recommend the action plan they provide,” said Debbie Pruismann.

The action plan on their website is called “How I’ll avoid a scam.” and can be found at www.ftc.gov.

If you or someone you know has been targeted by a scam, contact your financial institution, the police or sheriffs department, and the Iowa Attorney General’s office at 1-888-777-4590.

A complaint can also be filed online at https://www.iowaattorneygeneral.gov/for-consumers/file-a-consumer-complaint.