CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - Holiday scams are surging as criminals target people’s generosity during the gift-giving season, according to financial security experts.

Teresa Morales-Bargar, a community manager at Chase, said scammers take advantage of the holiday spirit.

“It’s the season of giving, and people will prey on that,” Morales-Bargar said.

Common holiday scam tactics

The holiday season brings increased risks when giving to charity, buying gifts or searching for deals.

Morales-Bargar warned people to be cautious about suspicious websites, text messages and phone calls.

“We want to be careful of the sites we are clicking on. The text messages we’re getting could be fraudulent. This year I have gotten several saying, ‘I have a missing package,’” she said. “We can track that oursel

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