How to Avoid Online Scams During the Holidays
Can you spot a scam? Learn how AI and fake links are used to trick online shoppers—and what you can do to stay safe.
Note: If you are short on time, watch the video and complete this See, Think, Wonder activity: What did you notice? What did the story make you think about? What would you want to learn more about?
With the gift-giving season just around the corner, shoppers looking for good deals are getting savvier — but so are holiday scammers. Last year, scams involving items that were either counterfeit or never delivered cost people more than $700 million. Ali Rogin speaks with Alissa Abdullah, deputy chief security officer for Mastercard, to learn more.
View the transcript of the story.
Understanding Online Scams
- What fraction of Americans say they have fallen prey to an online shopping scam?
- How much money have Americans lost to online scams in the past year?
- Who is Alissa Abdullah, and what is her background?
- Why should people making charitable donations do research on where their money is going, according to Abdullah?
- How is AI being used to target people, according to Abdullah?
Thinking Critically About Scams
In this segment, security expert Alissa Abdullah says that AI is being used to target people for fraud online. What do you think are some ways to prevent identity theft through AI impersonation?
Media literacy: Who else would you want to hear from to better understand the risk of online scams? Why do you think this segment was focused on the holiday season?
Extension Activity: Avoiding Scams
What are some ways you can avoid online scams? Watch the following video from MediaWise Teen Fact-checking Network and Student Reporting Labs. Then discuss:
- How do you think AI makes avoiding scams more complicated?
- What other ways can you think of to avoid scams online?
Media Literacy Resources
These media literacy lesson plans help students understand what media literacy is, why it matters, and how to think critically about the messages they encounter every day.
Republished with permission from PBS News Hour Classroom.
PBS News Hour Classroom helps teachers and students identify the who, what, where and why-it-matters of the major national and international news stories. The site combines the best of News Hour's reliable, trustworthy news program with lesson plans developed specifically for... See More
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