Tips to avoid holiday scams

Be aware of holiday hackers and scammers looking to take advantage of the most wonderful time of the year.

Whether it’s by phone, mail, emails, it is important to always be aware and mindful of scammers, especially around the holidays.

Gulfport Police Sgt. Jason Ducre advises people to keep their personal information secure and check your credit report and bank accounts.

If you’re weary of a phone number calling you, let it go to voicemail and see if the caller leaves a message.

If you receive a suspicious email, Sgt. Ducre says not to open it and to delete it right away. “During this time of the year, it’s the season of giving. People are much more open to giving out money and just helping people so scammers tend to take advantage of that. But you have to remember if it looks too good, it probably is. If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.”

Sgt. Ducre also suggests checking with your cell phone provider to see if they have any service that detects possible scam calls.