{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.hassan.senate.gov/news/press-releases/scams-alert-ahead-of-black-friday-and-cyber-monday-senator-hassan-warns-consumers-about-holiday-shopping-scams", "SCAMS ALERT: Ahead of Black Friday & Cyber Monday, Senator Hassan Warns Consumers About Holiday Shopping Scams", "2025-11-24", "2025", "2025-11", "Democrat", "Senate", "NH", "Margaret Wood Hassan", "H001076", "www.hassan.senate.gov", "hassan", "https://www.hassan.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "Click Here to See Senator Hassan's New Scam Alert, and Click Here to Take Her Survey on Scams\n\nWASHINGTON \u2013 Today, U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Ranking Member of the Joint Economic Committee, released an alert warning consumers about Black Friday and Cyber Monday scams. The report details the heightened risk of scams that consumers face during the holiday shopping season \u2013 last year, phishing emails mimicking major U.S. retail brands like Walmart and Target surged by more than 2,000 percent during the holiday season. The report also provides tips for consumers to protect themselves from common online shopping scams. People can also click here to take Senator Hassan's survey on scams that she launched earlier this year.\n\n\u201cIf your inbox is anything like mine, each holiday season brings an ever-growing flood of emails promising huge discounts and exclusive deals,\u201d said Senator Hassan. \u201cWhile some of those deals may be legitimate, many are sent by scammers trying to steal the money that you\u2019ve saved up to buy gifts for loved ones. I encourage people to follow the guidance in this report, share it with your friends and family, and ensure that your holiday spending doesn\u2019t end up swept away in the flood of Black Friday fraud.\u201d\n\nThe report is part of Senator Hassan\u2019s ongoing comprehensive effort to combat scams. In recent months, Senator Hassan opened investigations into SpaceX and Match Group, pushing the companies to take steps to curtail the use of their tools or platforms by scammers.\n\nRead the Senator\u2019s Black Friday and Cyber Monday scams alert here, or see key tips from the alert below:\n\nTips for Combating Common Online Shopping Scams\n\nBe skeptical of deeply discounted items. If a deal seems too good to be true, it often is.\n\nLook out for suspicious emails, phone calls, and texts, including messages from unknown numbers or from email addresses that do not match official company websites.\n\nBe wary of emails that demand urgent action, such as resetting your password, resolving an issue with a package delivery, or claiming a bargain or giveaway that is about to expire \u2013 as scammers frequently try to rush their targets into providing sensitive information or making a fraudulent payment.\n\nAvoid clicking on links or downloading attachments from emails, texts, and social media, which can direct you to a fraudulent website or install malware on your device.\n\nInstead, to address concerns with your account or verify a discount from a company you trust, go directly to the vendor\u2019s website. Do not use contact information listed in an email, text, or ad, which can steer you to a scammer.\n\nResearch unfamiliar sellers on sites like BBB.org, where you can check customer reviews and complaints.\n\nBefore making a purchase, look for signs of a fraudulent website, including misspellings, extra words, or unusual domains in the website\u2019s URL with extra characters or different spellings of popular brand names, for example.\n\nEnsure that any website where you are entering your payment information has \u201chttps\u201d in its URL, which indicates that the site has a protected network connection.\n\nUse a strong password and enable two-factor authentication on your accounts, as this can make it harder for bad actors to access them.\n\nMonitor your bank account and credit card statements for suspicious transactions.\n\nBe wary of sellers who ask you to pay with a money transfer, cryptocurrency, or pre-paid gift cards. These irreversible, difficult to trace payment methods are a favorite of scammers.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:52:45Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.hassan.senate.gov/news/press-releases/scams-alert-ahead-of-black-friday-and-cyber-monday-senator-hassan-warns-consumers-about-holiday-shopping-scams"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9752921760082245, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}