As the holiday season approaches, US consumers are more exposed to fraud

According to a new survey from the AARP Fraud Watch Network, 70% of consumers failed a quiz about how to stay safe from common holiday scams. The survey included seven questions about scams, with 70% of the survey participants answering four or fewer of the questions correctly.

In 2014, US consumers gave USD 358 billion dollars to charity according to the National Philanthropic Trust. AARPs survey reveals that 70% of the people who donated to a charity or fundraiser in the past 12 months did so without asking any questions about how that donation would be spent, and 60% made donations without verifying that the charity groups were legally authorized to raise money in their state.

About a third of consumers do not know (15%) or are not sure (18%) that, in most states, professional fundraisers must be registered with the government and report how much they raise and how much goes to the charitable purpose. Less than one in ten (8%) could correctly name the government agency they should contact to verify the legitimacy of the charity or fundraiser (the Office of the State Secretary).

Almost two-thirds of the holiday shoppers surveyed (64%) say they will buy holiday gifts this year using a debit card. Also, online security experts warn that consumers should never use public Wi-Fi to access bank accounts or to buy products online. The survey indicates that 52% of internet users in this survey say they will use free public Wi-Fi. Many of them, while using public Wi-Fi, will make purchases (42%), access their bank accounts (28%), and check their credit card accounts (16%).

Findings indicate that more than 40% of holiday shoppers are unaware that package delivery companies are not responsible for stolen packages that are left at your front door without requiring a delivery signature. A large majority of survey respondents (79%) say they ship packages to friends without requiring a signature at least some of the time. 73% say they receive home deliveries without having to provide a signature.