U.S. Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA), ranking member of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, issued a warning to consumers during the holiday season.

“The holidays are a time for charity and giving, but there are some who abuse the spirit of the season to take advantage of others, including seniors” said Casey. “Pennsylvania seniors should be vigilant and keep watch for con artists who use the holiday season to ramp up efforts on commonly used scams.”

Examples of scams include:

• Fake charities that appeal emotionally to those who wish to donate to people in need;

• Emergency phone calls, such as the grandparent scam that tricks older adults into thinking their grandchild needs money immediately; and

• Fake businesses posing as legitimate businesses in order to obtain personal and financial information.

Attorney General Josh Shapiro warned Pennsylvania consumers to be on the lookout for:

• The bait and switch: Take retailers’ advertisements to the store with you. Unscrupulous retailers may advertise goods at low prices, but when you get to the store the price may be higher than advertised or the product might not be there at all.

• Skimming devices: During the holidays last year, police were called to a retailer at the King of Prussia mall to remove a skimming device from one store’s register. Sometimes skimming devices are placed on gas pumps or ATMs to capture data from the magnetic stripe on the back of credit and debit cards. If something looks out of place or easily wiggles, use a different ATM, gas pump or register.

“We’ve seen consumers lose between $75 and $2,000 on skimming devices,” Shapiro said. “The best defense against scammers using these illegal devices is to closely monitor your credit card statements and bank accounts. If you believe you’ve been a victim of a skimming device, call our Bureau of Consumer Protection at 800-441-2555 or email us at scams@attorneygeneral.gov.”

• “Cybersquatting” Sites: Crooks try to impersonate well-known websites by inverting characters or slightly altering the name of a well-known website. The copycat sites may look similar to the real website — and they can steal your credit information. Carefully read website addresses to ensure you are shopping on a legitimate website.

• Copycat and fraudulent websites: Fake websites set up by scammers target online shoppers during the holiday season. Sometimes appearing as ad results in online searches, these sites may contain malware or steal inputted credit card data. Avoid making purchases from untrustworthy sites.

• Security certificates: To ensure you are shopping on a secure website, make sure the website begins with “HTTPS” and has a small padlock icon next to the webpage address. Keep your computer, tablet or smartphone up-to-date and install security software.

• Retailers who request payment through wire transfer: Legitimate online businesses will not use wire transfer to collect payment for purchases. This is a sure sign of a scam.

If you suspect you have been the victim of a scam, please report it to the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging Fraud Hotline at 1-855-303-9407.