'Tis the season to be swindled.

• Position: Fraud

The holiday season Is one of the busiest times of year for scammers, warns AARP, Washington, D.C. Here are some things to watch out for:

In a classic phishing scam, schemers will launch a copycat website of a well-known retailer--or create a website offering popular, sometimes previously "sold out" merchandise at crazy discounts. Often by e-mail, but increasingly through links on social media sites, the e-mail appears to come from a legitimate company, yet the link sends you to a phony website where you are asked to enter personal information.

If this occurs, search the retailer; type In "vendor name + scam" and see what comes up. Type URLs directly Into your browser; do not click on a link from an e-mail or social media site unless you absolutely are sure the message is from the legitimate business. On the payment page, look for "https" at the beginning of the address--the "s" stands for "secure."

When shopping on a new site, look for a return policy and contact information, including a real address, a toll-free customer service number, and other ways to reach the company if you have a problem. Use a credit card (not a debit card) when shopping online for greater protections against possible fraud.

Another scam to be wary of, points out AARP, is when thieves go to a store gift card rack, secretly write down or electronically scan the numbers off the cards, then check online or call the toll-free number to see if someone has bought the cards and activated them. As soon as a card is active, the scammers drain the funds. By the time you try to use the same card, the money is long gone.

To avoid this situation, only purchase gift cards from reputable sources. Better yet, get them directly from the store they are from--preferably directly from the store cashier--and ask that the...