Consumers are warned to watch our for an packaging that may look to be damaged or tampered with by crooks this holiday season.

LA GRANDE — With holiday shopping kicking into high gear, many Oregonians are thinking about what to buy their loved ones and friends, not worrying about possible financial scams.

However, the Oregon Division of Financial Regulation is warning everyone to be on the lookout for gift card scams, according to a press release from the Department of Consumer and Business Services.

The scammer’s goal is to get the victim to load up a gift card with money before handing over the card number and person identification number codes. This allows the scammer to access the funds without the physical card.

Gift card scams can begin in a number of ways, including a call, text, email or social media message.

Scammers usually rely on a few common tactics to trick people into gift card scams, according to the Federal Trade Commissions. They will use urgency — telling the victim that if they do not receive payment right away something terrible will happen.

Scammers will also commonly ask victims to buy a particular type of gift card at a specific location. For example, they might say to buy an Apple gift card at Walmart. The scammer may even try to get someone to buy multiple gift cards at several different stores.

Common scams

• Scammers may use the following stories to trick people into payments, according to the Division of Financial Regulation.

• Scammers say they are from the government, such as the IRS, the Social Security Administration or even the Federal Trade Commission. They say you have to pay taxes or a fine. However, government agencies will not contact you to demand immediate payment and they never demand payment by gift card.

• Scammers say they are from tech support. They will say they are from a company, such as Microsoft or Apple, and there is something wrong with your computer. They then ask for remote access and say to pay them to get it fixed. Do not give them access.

• Scammers say they are a friend or family member with an emergency. If the scammer uses voice cloning, they may even sound just like your loved one. They ask you to send money right away, but not to tell anyone. If you are worried, directly contact the friend or relative to check that everything is alright.

• Scammers say you have won a prize. But first, they tell you to pay fees or other charges with a gift card. It is a scam. No honest business or agency will ever make you buy a gift card to pay them for a prize.

• Scammers say they are from your utility company. They threaten to cut off your service if you don’t pay immediately. Utility companies do not work that way.

• Scammers ask for money after they chat you up on a dating website. Romance scammers will make up any story to trick you into buying a gift card to send them money. Slow down. Never send money or gifts to anyone you have not met in person – even if they send you money first.

• Scammers send a check for way more than you expected. They tell you to deposit the check and give them the difference on a gift card. Do not do it. It is a scam. That check will be fake and you will be out that money.

Protect yourself this holiday season

When in doubt, hang up. To protect yourself, the Division of Financial Regulation recommends taking the following precautions:

• Avoid answering unknown numbers and block unwanted calls or text messages.

• Avoid giving personal identifying information to unsolicited calls, texts or emails. Hang up, look up their number and call them to verify.

• Be skeptical and ask questions.

• Resist the pressure to act immediately.

• Stop and talk to someone you trust.

• Never pay someone who insists you pay with a gift card, money transfer or cryptocurrency.