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FBI warns Arizonans to watch out for online holiday scams

Arizona was 14th out of 50 states in the number of online scams reported, according to the FBI’s Internet Crime Compliance Center.

Brooke Brennan with the FBI office in Phoenix says scammers are always looking for inventive ways to make money and can capitalize on online shoppers during the holiday season.

“When you’re scrolling through your feed and see something that looks really cool, right, you wanna buy it off your feed, just make sure you go to that direct website and look at the reviews before you purchase anything from a social media ad,” said Brennan.

Brennan says phishing emails, scammers impersonating people you know and untrustworthy online stores are easy ways for others to get your personal information.

She says Arizona’s status as a retirement destination may play into why so many scams are attempted throughout the state, as elderly people are more prone to fall for online scams.

Vaughan Jones was a reporter at KJZZ from 2020 to 2022.