Con artists won’t be taking this year off.  Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr is cautioning consumers to ensure they spend wisely by heeding the following tips:

Beware of bogus websites. Many scammers have set up phony websites offering popular products at below-market prices.  They’ll take your money, but you’ll end up with nothing in return.  If you want to shop online, do so through reputable, well-known websites only.

Credit cards offer greater protections against fraud than cash, checks or debit cards.  If a transaction turns out to be fraudulent, you can report it to your credit card issuer and request a chargeback.

Beware of package delivery scams. Scammers may send you a text or email that purports 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.  Sometimes these messages include a link or file attachment, which could download malware.  Avoid clicking on these links or downloading any attachments.