Tips to avoid being scammed this holiday shopping season

The holiday season is right around the corner, and with increased shopping there is a risk for increased scams. Here are some simple tips to help keep your money in your bank account and avoid being scammed.

Next time you go shopping, keep this statistic in mind:

"Seventy nine percent of businesses are storing consumer information when they don't need it. It's not protected. It's not secure," said Andrea Woroch, a Verizon Business Spokesperson.

That’s from a new study by Verizon business. But following these steps can help consumers protect themselves and their money.

First, keep an eye on the person swiping your credit or debit card.

"You don't want to blame or suspect everyone's trying to steal your information, but there are people who will and are trying to copy your credit card information with extra swipes," said Woroch.

When shopping online, be careful about storing your billing information.

"Don't mark that little check box that says 'to store for future purchases.' You don't want that organization, that business, that internet website to hold any of that information," said Woroch.

As the holiday shopping season approaches, think about the alternative to handing over your credit or debit cards.

"Buy a few gift cards and that way none of your information can be taken off your credit or debit card," said Woroch.

And if you use sites like giftcardgranny.com, you might be able to get those gift cards at a discount, saving you money. You should also carefully review billing statement to make sure that you aren't a victim of fraud.

"Lots of consumers overlook little charges that are being made on their statement and that's how people are continually able to trick them and deceive them and steal them and take extra money out of their accounts," said Woroch.