You're listening to Life Kit from NPR.

Hey, it's Mariel.

This time of year, we're conditioned to spend money freely, right?

It's like, of course, I have to buy presents for all of these people.

And, oh, it's Black Friday. Big sale. Might as well get all this stuff.

And now is the time of year to give to charity.

Obviously nothing wrong with that.

But this is a season when we tend to open up our wallets.

It's also a busy time when we're a little distracted.

And all of this can make us more vulnerable to scams.

There's a lot of hustle and bustle during the holiday season. so there's a lot more opportunities for scammers to steal from us.

This is Amy Knopfsiger, Senior Director of Fraud Victim Support at AARP's Fraud Watch Network.

You might know AARP as a membership organization focused on people 50 plus, but when it comes to fraud, they serve anyone of any age.

And fraud does happen to everyone. I've gotten scammed, buying something online. And I've had some near misses, too. It's nothing to be ashamed of, but we do want you to know how to protect yourself.

On this episode of Life Kit, holiday season scams,

we'll talk about the most common ways people get scammed this time of year and what we can do

to stay safe. Let's talk about online shopping during the holidays.

What are the big red flags people should be aware of?

I like to talk about the hot ticket item.

And I honestly don't know what it is this year.

My children are older, right? But I remember there were

race cars that I was looking for or the perfect tennis shoe, right? If you're looking for that

...