On November 28, 2025 the FBI San Diego field office issued a consumer alert advising holiday shoppers to be vigilant for common season scams including fraudulent online stores, fake charities, tech‑support imposters, and phishing attacks. The advisory reiterates red flags such as pressure to act quickly and requests for unusual payment methods like gift cards, crypto, or wire transfers and advises verifying sellers with independently sourced contact information.

The FBI San Diego field office released a consumer alert on November 28, 2025 to remind holiday shoppers about frequent seasonal scams that spike during high‑volume shopping periods. The advisory catalogs typical fraud vectors: counterfeit or fraudulent shopping websites that take payment but never deliver goods, fake charitable solicitations that exploit seasonal generosity, tech‑support imposters who claim problems with purchases or devices, and phishing campaigns that harvest login or payment credentials. Investigators emphasize common indicators of fraud—urgent pressure to complete a transaction, requests to pay via untraceable or non‑reversible methods such as gift cards, cryptocurrency, or wire transfers, and reluctance or inability by the seller to provide independently verifiable contact or business details. The release encourages consumers to confirm seller information through outside sources, use traceable payment methods like credit cards, inspect website reviews and domain registration details, and report suspicious incidents to local law enforcement and the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). The bulletin is intended to reduce victimization over the holiday season by reinforcing practical prevention steps and reporting pathways.