Scammers and thieves operate all year long, but there’s something about the holiday season that kicks them into high gear.

“With so many Georgians buying gifts, making donations, and sending and receiving packages during the holidays, criminals are hoping to exploit this opportunity to steal your hard-earned money or personal information,” said Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr. “By familiarizing yourself with some of the common scams, you can better protect your wallet and your identify, especially when shopping online.”

The Consumer Protection Division of the AG’s Office offers these tips to stay safe over the holidays:

• Only make purchases through reputable companies. With more people shopping online, it’s important to check out a company’s reputation with the Better Business Bureau at bbb.org.

• Beware of phony retail websites. Watch out for fake websites that look very similar to that of an actual online merchant. Scammers may try to lure you to such sites using ads, texts or unsolicited emails that promise a “free gift” or a great bargain. Check the website name very closely. Spelling or grammatical errors may tip you off to a bogus site. Avoid navigating to a website through a link in a text, ad or unsolicited email.

• If possible, use credit cards when making purchases. Credit cards offer greater protections against fraud than cash, debit cards, payment apps or cryptocurrency.

• Beware of package delivery scams. Scammers send texts and emails that purport to come from the U.S. Postal Service, UPS, or FedEx saying that you missed a delivery or there’s an update about your package. These imposters are trying to steal your money or sensitive data by prompting you to provide personal or payment information.

• Watch out for fake order confirmations. Scammers may impersonate well-known retailers, such as Amazon, Walmart, Target or Costco, by sending a text message or email confirming a recent purchase you supposedly made totaling several thousand dollars. The message contains a link or phone number to call to cancel the order and receive a refund. But, if you follow the instructions, you will end up giving your money or account credentials to a scammer. You can safely verify the status of your account at any time by going to the verified website address of the retailer in question, where you can then view your orders, track shipments and securely contact customer service.

• Guard against thieves who may steal packages off your doorstep. Track packages so you know when they arrive. Consider having packages shipped to your work address instead of your home or asking a neighbor to pick up packages for you if you’re away.

• Beware of malicious links. Be wary about clicking on links to advertisements for holiday deals, e-greeting cards, notifications about package delivery problems, or warnings about compromised accounts.

• Avoid bogus charities. Many charities solicit for donations around the holidays, but scammers like to get in on the action too. Avoid clicking on links in unsolicited texts or emails or on ads that pop-up in your social media accounts. Being asked to donate to a charity via wire transfer, gift cards or cryptocurrency is a red flag of a scam.

• Pay close attention to return policies. A business may set its own return policy and may offer consumers cash, in-store credit, exchanges, or no adjustment at all. Many stores also set time limits on when they accept returns. While not required to post their policies, businesses must honor any posted refund or return policy.

• Check your bank and credit card accounts frequently. With the extra shopping you may be doing, an unauthorized charge might be harder to catch.

As soon as you become aware of a fraud, immediately contact the appropriate financial provider, money transfer company, or gift card provider so you have the best chance of recovering your money and minimizing any damage done to your finances or credit record. File a report with local law enforcement or with the Consumer Protection Division at (404) 651-8600.