As consumers enjoy the holiday shopping season, the Georgia Attorney General's Officehas joined the Innovative Payments Association (IPA), the American Transaction Processor's Coalition (ATPC) and InComm Payments to share best practices for retailers and shoppers to reduce the risk of scams and fraudulent activity. This collaboration reflects the dedication of Georgia's payments industry, which earned the nickname "Transaction Alley" due to the number of payment processing companies based in the state, to protecting consumers from fraud.

"We're proud to work with our partners in the payment-processing industry to protect Georgia consumers and retailers from cyberfraud and scams," said Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr. "With the holiday season approaching, we encourage Georgians to take the necessary precautions to safeguard their personal and financial information, particularly as they're making purchases online. We want to ensure your hard-earned dollars are kept safe, and Georgia's employers are positioned to thrive."

Scams: How to Identify & Avoid Them

The Georgia Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division offers resources to help shoppers understand when a scammer may have contacted them in an attempt to fraudulently obtain money or products. Common characteristics that consumers should watch for include:

1. Being asked to pay money in order to receive a prize.

2. Being pressured to act immediately.

3. Use of scare tactics, such as claiming a loved one is in danger, that a consumer's computer has been hacked, or threatening arrest if they don't act now.

4. Insistence to pay via gift cards, prepaid cards, wire transfer or cryptocurrency (e.g. Bitcoin).

5. Get-rich-quick and other promises that sound too good to be true.

6. Promises to recover money lost in other scams, for a fee.

If a consumer becomes aware of a scam, they should contact the appropriate financial provider, money transfer company or gift card provider immediately for the best chance of minimizing any damage. Consumers can learn more by visiting the Georgia Attorney General's website.

Safe Online Shopping Tips

Fraudsters can also target holiday shoppers looking for deals on e-commerce websites. Industry associations encourage consumers to exercise caution before clicking links or visiting websites to make a purchase. Tips to follow for safe online shopping include:

1. Sticking to reputable sites.

2. Checking websites before entering any information to ensure a secure connection (i.e. an HTTPS at the beginning of page addresses) and correct spellings of page URLs.

3. Completing purchases as a "guest" to avoid storing information or card numbers on websites.

"Fraud and scams are a threat to consumers and businesses alike every holiday season," said Briant Tate, President and CEO of the IPA. "It takes a committed team to educate consumers and fight fraud. The IPA is proud to work alongside Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr, the ATPC and InComm Payments to help make sure the holiday season is safe and enjoyable for shoppers."

Additional resources and information are available on the IPA's Safe Shopping website.

Protecting Older Adults from Fraud

Industry and community collaboration are essential to spotting and preventing fraud, especially when it targets older adults. Resources designed to help older adults include the Georgia Consumer Protection Guide for Older Adults and the FTC's Pass It On campaign. These campaigns also offer advice for retail employees to converse with customers in order to help stop suspected scams before they occur.

"Here in America's 'Transaction Alley,' the ATPC is honored to partner with Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr and industry leaders such as InComm Payments, as well as our sister trade association, the IPA," said H. West Richards, Executive Director of the ATPC. "Together, we continue to do more to address fraud by driving cross-ecosystem collaboration, sharing necessary data and defining clear best practices and rules across emerging payment methods that benefit the consumer."

Gift Card Fraud Prevention

Gift cards are a popular purchase during the holiday season, and companies such as InComm Payments deploy advanced technologies, packaging techniques, monitoring systems, and other security practices to protect cardholders. There are also actions consumers can take to reduce the risk of gift card fraud. Before purchasing a card, consumers should inspect the packaging for signs of tampering such as:

• Excessive wrinkles from being overly handled or bent;

• Glue residue around the edges;

• Tears or rips in the paper;

• Handwriting or marks on the packaging;

• Scratch-off labels that are missing, partially scratched, wrinkled or crooked; or

• A feeling that the package is empty with no card inside.

Additional steps that consumers should take include:

1. When purchasing a gift card, always keep the receipt (or take a picture of the receipt for your records). When giving a card away as a gift, always include the receipt or a photo of it.

2. After receiving a gift card, open the package and inspect it. If any part of the card number, expiration date or security code is missing or appears altered, contact the customer care phone number on the back of your card for assistance.

3. When reporting an issue, provide all requested information to ensure customer care can determine what occurred and resolve the problem as quickly as possible.

4. To check gift card balance and review transaction history, use the website URL printed on the card. If an unrecognized transaction appears, contact customer care immediately.

"As a leader in the payments industry, we closely collaborate with our brand and merchant partners to combat the latest threats and help consumers maintain vigilance against fraudster activity," said Rob Hadden, Senior Vice President, Fraud Ops at InComm Payments. "We strongly encourage shoppers to remember these best practices shared by our state's law enforcement leaders and national industry associations during the holiday season and beyond."

"From Georgia communities to states across the country, we encourage to stay vigilant and watch for signs that may indicate a fraudster or scammer is targeting them," said Robert Skiba, Executive Vice President at InComm Payments.

For more information and resources, visit the official website for your state's Attorney General Office.