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There always seems to be a never-ending list of tasks during the holiday season, from booking flights to purchasing gifts for loved ones. As you prepare for the holidays, it’s also critical to keep an eye out for online scams that aim to steal your money and your joy. Nationally, nearly 1 in 3 consumers reported falling victim to an online scam during the 2024 holiday season, and Pennsylvanians have lost more than $291 million to fraud and scams just last year. Scams are becoming increasingly more sophisticated, making them more convincing and harder to detect. "The holidays are scammers’ busy season. From fake travel websites and false package delivery messages to phony charity donations, scammers take advantage of people's spirit of generosity and bustling holiday schedule," said Diedra Porché, National Head of Community and Business Development at JPMorganChase. “Your best defense to protect yourself and loved ones is to stay educated on common and emerging scam tactics.” “Scammers will go to great lengths to take advantage of generous holiday shoppers. People may notice unusual texts about missed packages or massive discounts on their favorite websites,” said Daisy Gonzalez, Philadelphia Community Manager, “Chase is here to educate consumers on popular scam tactics so they can help protect their money year-round, not just during the holidays.” During the week of November 16, Chase will host over 20 fraud and scam education workshops across the country, including in Philadelphia in coordination with local law enforcement and other local partners. These workshops, which are free and open to the public, aim to educate the public on recognizing scams and empowering individuals with the knowledge and tools they need to protect themselves. Chase hosts over 1,000 fraud and scam education workshops per year across its more than 5,000 branches.  Don't let the threat of scams dampen your celebrations. Consider the following tips to help you celebrate safely.
Beware of unrealistic deals When you have so many gifts to buy, you’ll want to look for bargains. However, make sure that the discounts you're offered are legitimate. Scammers often lure buyers with massive discounts, especially on popular and sold-out items, often using fake websites or social media ads. If you think, "this deal is too good to be true," listen to your gut. It's likely a scam. Shop with trusted retailers When shopping online or on social media, make sure to only buy from trusted websites and vendors. Review the website's URL and ensure that it starts with "https://" (the 's' stands for secure) as scammers can create fake websites to look like legitimate retailers. If you're unfamiliar with a store, search for the name with terms like "scam," "complaints," or "reviews" to uncover any red flags. Be especially cautious when making purchases from social media marketplaces. Always verify the product exists before purchasing and use payments with purchase protections, like a credit card, to pay. Gift card scams typically begin with outreach from a scammer, often pretending to be someone else, who urgently pressures victims into buying specific gift cards and sharing the card numbers and PINs. Scammers use various stories, such as pretending to be government officials, tech support, friends or family in emergencies, prize promoters, utility companies, or online romantic interests. Remember: Legitimate organizations will never demand payment by gift card, and requests for gift card payments are a sign of a scam. How you pay matters Not all payment methods offer purchase protection. When buying gifts for the holiday season, consider using your debit and credit cards, as they may provide protections that allow you to dispute a charge if you don’t receive what you paid for or it’s not as you expected. If you purchase something using payment methods like Zelle®, wire transfers, gift cards, or cash, and it turns out to be a scam, it’s unlikely you’ll get your money back. Only use Zelle® to pay others you know and trust. Seek out free resources Give yourself peace of mind while shopping by using digital tools to monitor your personal information. For example, Chase Credit Journey® offers free credit and identity monitoring. This includes alerts to let you know if your data is exposed in a data breach or on the dark web. You don't have to be a Chase customer use it. To learn more about how to help protect yourself from scams this holiday season, visit Chase.com/Security. For informational/educational purposes only: Views and strategies described in this article or provided via links may not be appropriate for everyone and are not intended as specific advice/recommendation for any business. Information has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but JPMorgan Chase & Co. or its affiliates and/or subsidiaries do not warrant its completeness or accuracy. The material is not intended to provide legal, tax, or financial advice or to indicate the availability or suitability of any JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. product or service. You should carefully consider your needs and objectives before making any decisions and consult the appropriate professional(s). Outlooks and past performance are not guarantees of future results. JPMorgan Chase & Co. and its affiliates are not responsible for, and do not provide or endorse third party products, services, or other content. Deposit and credit card products provided by JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. Member FDIC. © 2025 JPMorgan Chase & Co. Master Your Financial Future: Four Essential Strategies for Building an Investment Portfolio11/11/2025
Whether you’ve just started your journey to financial health or are well on your way to reaching your financial goals, you’ve likely heard about the critical role investing plays in financial health. While this is sound advice, you may have lingering questions about how to construct an investment portfolio or whether certain times are more opportune for investing. You might also be curious about whether you should focus on specific types of investments, such as stocks or bonds, or explore real estate and other commodities. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer. While some strategies can benefit nearly all investors, your investment choices should align with your future financial plans – both short-term and long-term. Here, Ryan Giacomarro, Head of the Mid-Atlantic Bank for J.P. Morgan Private Bank, shares four key strategies for building your investment portfolio and how to get started: Learn what makes up an investment portfolio Begin by familiarizing yourself with what an investment portfolio entails. A portfolio is a collection of investments that often includes an array of asset classes such as equities, or stocks, representing ownership stakes in corporations; fixed income securities including bonds, and tangible commodities like precious metals or agricultural products. Investors often view their investments as a whole through their portfolio to track their progress. Assess your risk tolerance Investment strategies are not universal. If your goal is to minimize risk and preserve your principal investment, consider a conservative portfolio with assets like bonds, which can be less prone to significant losses. Although a conservative portfolio could yield lower returns, it may be suitable if you're nearing retirement and will need your funds soon—or if you simply prefer to minimize risk. Conversely, a high-growth portfolio involves investing in higher-risk assets that can yield more substantial gains or losses. While it’s often recommended that younger people invest more aggressively since they have more time to recover from potential losses, it’s more about how soon you hope to achieve your investment goals. You might opt for a balanced approach, diversifying your investments across multiple asset classes. Diversify your portfolio Plan to distribute your investments across different types of securities. For example, avoid concentrating all your money in a single stock, as a downturn in that stock could jeopardize your entire portfolio. It’s also recommended not to put your money solely in one asset class (for example, just stocks) – instead, it’s generally better to spread your investments across different types of securities with different levels of risk. This approach can help protect your money. For instance, you have money invested in several asset classes like bonds, stocks and commodities, and the bond market falls, only part of your investment portfolio will be affected. Think long-term, no matter your goals Regardless of strategy and allocation, it's generally advisable to maintain a long-term perspective, as this allows for the compounding of returns and the ability to weather short-term market fluctuations. For investors, maintaining a long-term mindset can pave the way for success. Although markets can always have a bad day, week, month or even year, history suggests investors are less likely to experience losses over longer periods—especially in a diversified portfolio. Reacting with fear during market downturns and withdrawing your investments could mean missing out on potential rebounds, which is why investors should focus on time in the market, not timing the market. Over the last 20 years, seven of the 10 best days occurred within 15 days of the 10 worst days.  The bottom line
With an understanding of what it takes to build your portfolio, now is the time to get started! You can open a brokerage account online at any time and you can connect with a financial advisor in person to learn more about investing products, so you can build the right portfolio for your financial needs and goals. For informational/educational purposes only: Views and strategies described in this article or provided via links may not be appropriate for everyone and are not intended as specific advice/recommendation for any business. Information has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but JPMorgan Chase & Co. or its affiliates and/or subsidiaries do not warrant its completeness or accuracy. The material is not intended to provide legal, tax, or financial advice or to indicate the availability or suitability of any JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. product or service. You should carefully consider your needs and objectives before making any decisions and consult the appropriate professional(s). Outlooks and past performance are not guarantees of future results. JPMorgan Chase & Co. and its affiliates are not responsible for, and do not provide or endorse third party products, services, or other content. Deposit products provided by JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. Member FDIC. Equal Opportunity Lender. © 2025 JPMorgan Chase & Co. |
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