Take a cue from Carmen Sandiego: Amazon, Nike, Zara and tons of other big retailers have different country-specific versions of their sites. Prices can vary significantly based on where you’re shopping from, and you can still get your items shipped to your house. Btw, you may need a VPN to access a different country’s website without it redirecting to the USA.
5 clever tricks holiday scammers use
JD in Dallas emailed me with a story. He and his wife were at the mall and stopped for a Christmas selfie. Two young men walking by offered to take the pic for them — and one kept wiping the phone’s lens inside his jacket.
“It seemed like too big of a production and felt suspicious. Am I overreacting?”
JD, you learned a valuable lesson: Never hand your unlocked phone to a stranger. They were most likely trying to send themselves money. Have your wife check her financial accounts for any strange transactions.
The holiday shopping frenzy is here, and most tricks are digital. It’s easy to let your guard down when you’re in a rush. I’ve got a list of the most devious scams you need to watch, brought to you by my antivirus pick, TotalAV.
Don’t fall for this junk
📦 Fake order confirmations: These are everywhere. The message is some variation of “Your package couldn’t be delivered!” Click the link to reschedule delivery and you’ll land on a fake site that asks for personal details like your address or credit card info.
🎁 Bogus giveaways: “Win $1,000!” Just fill out a quick form and you’re in! And you’ve just handed over your email, phone number and other details to who-knows-who. Only enter giveaways from companies and people you trust (like me!).
🔍 Search engine traps: You search for a store’s site or return policy and land on a scammy duplicate designed to steal your login info. Always type in the web address directly if you know it; otherwise, scroll past sponsored results, which are easier to hack.
💳 Skimmed checkout pages: Everything looks normal, but hidden behind the scenes, a skimmer on the site steals your credit card details.
🤖 Bogus CAPTCHA forms: You know the drill: Prove you’re human by checking “I’m not a robot.” But what happens next is the trap. Instead of moving forward, you’re asked to download a file for “instructions.” Spoiler alert: That “instruction” file installs malware on your device.
Kim’s holiday safety checklist
These scams are tricky, but you can outsmart the bad guys.
How to find and stop hidden fees
When I’m booking air travel, it seems like the price goes up with every click. By the time I pay to check a bag or two, that “great deal” isn’t looking so, well, great.
So of course airlines are fighting the Biden administration’s “junk fees’” rule, which would make them show their fees upfront for checking bags, carrying on a bag, and changing or canceling a reservation.
🚨 Black Friday alert: Chinese scammers are imitating big brands like L.L. Bean and Ikea with “deals” up to 80% off. They use tracking pixels in Meta and TikTok to detect your location and translate the site so it looks legit. Don’t fall for too-good-to-be-true offers, and shop on official sites only!
How to deal with a cyberstalker
Let me tell you, more and more victims of cyberstalking are reaching out to me for advice using my Ask Kim page. Here’s one note I received recently from P.W. in Oklahoma:
“I’ve been cyberstalked for three years. I recently discovered it was my roommate. I moved out and he launched another attack. He’s on my and my fiance’s phones, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth — everything. He has stolen financial data, pictures, erased accounts, taken over emails and harassed me through VOIP. … He admitted to sitting outside our house all night. I thought he was spying on me. Now I know he was also gaining access to my Wi-Fi. I can’t do this anymore and need expert advice/help terribly.”
Divorcing your spouse: How to safely remove them from shared accounts
When you host a show on over 400 radio stations in the U.S. about all things tech, this question comes up quite a bit: “How can I tell if my partner is cheating?”
My best advice is to have an honest conversation with your partner, with the support of a couple’s therapist. Still, cheating does leave a ton of tech breadcrumbs. You have to know where to look.
Before you buy: If you’re in the market for a baby lounger, sleep positioner, wedge, inclined sleeper, weighted sleep sacks or crib bumpers, just know not everything sold online is safe. Third-party retailers on Amazon and other sites often don’t comply with recalls. Always search online for the exact name of a baby or kid product with the word “recall.”
A scam in time for the holidays: “Card declined” messages are all over scammy retail sites. It’s a trick to get you to pay twice so they can steal twice the card details. Before you check out, make sure the URL starts with “https” (don’t skip the -s).
Watch out for fakes on Walmart, eBay and Amazon
When shopping on Amazon, eBay and Walmart, it’s hard to distinguish between good and bad sellers. Heck, even I’ve bought junk from third-party sellers … companies that use major e-commerce platforms to sell their products.
Get Temu, the popular shopping app, off your phone now
Seemingly overnight, everyone’s talking about Temu, an online shopping app full of deals that seem too good to be true. You’ll find $17 wireless earbuds, $1 “gold” necklaces and $23 wedding dresses.
No wonder Temu is the most popular shopping app in the U.S., behind only Amazon. But most of us know little about the app’s origins. Like these apps, it’s tied to China.
How to get a hotel room cheaper than the best price online
Here’s my spending philosophy: If you can get something cheaper, it’s worth a little effort. Of course, I like tools that do the hard work for me. Tap or click for an online shopping helper to find discounts that work.
Here's why people are receiving empty packages in the mail (Yes, it's a scam)
There have been several instances where people received a notification of a delivery that couldn’t be completed. Under normal circumstances, it could be legitimate, but these messages turned out to be fake.
Those delivery scams are designed to rip you off by claiming you need to hand over information to complete a delivery. But there’s a clever new technique that crooks are using you need to know about. In this one, you receive a package, but its content will leave you wondering what’s happening.
Amazon scam: Don't fall for this fake text! It'll cost you
Scammers have no morals. That’s why they are out in full force around the holidays. Tap or click here for the top three scams to watch for this holiday season.
But there’s a new scheme to rip you off that you must be aware of. It’s based on online shopping, which millions of people are doing now.
The secret apps and strategies pro shoppers use to save money during the holidays
Inflation has been out of control for quite a while. Even though prices have started to come down on some items, gas is still higher than normal. Tap or click here for the best hidden map feature that will save you money on gas.
New Facebook scam banks on you sharing a heartbreaking post
The holidays are upon us, so you’re probably doing some online shopping to complete the endless gift list. Be extra careful this holiday season, as the number of thieves targeting online shoppers is incredibly high. Tap or click here for eight ways to avoid holiday shopping scams.
Holiday shopping scams are here - 8 ways to stay safe
Ready or not, the holidays are upon us. That means you’re probably trying to complete your Christmas gift list. If you’re ordering gifts online, you don’t want to leave a trail that will ruin the surprise. Tap or click here for the best ways to hide what you purchase online.
How to tell if a deal is really a deal
Sometimes, a deal seems too good to be true. Prices shift constantly, which makes it hard to know which sales are really worth shopping. Luckily, there are free price tracking tools you can use to sniff out misleading deals.
5 ways to get free shipping when you shop online
The holidays are upon us, which means it’s time to save as much as you can. Pricey items and services often come with affordable alternatives that work just as well. Tap or click here for 15 things you didn’t know you can get for free.
Shopping for holiday decorations? Don’t fall for this online shopping scam
The holiday season is nearing rapidly, which means many are shopping for decorations. Stores have already started playing Christmas jingles, and their decorations are up in full force. Tap or click here for the best way to avoid spoiling gifts you purchased on Amazon.
The top 10 most impersonated brands online - Read this to steer clear of phishing
Phishing scams have been around for years, but the thieves behind them constantly change techniques. Earlier this year, phishing scams targeted your bank accounts. Tap or click here for details on these dangerous financial scams.