The text messages, emails and voicemails are enough to make you... well, scream.

“Your Netflix account has been locked due to suspicious activity.”

“We were unable to process your recent bill payment. Please click this link...”

“This is an urgent call regarding the status of your account.”

The text messages, emails and voicemails are enough to make you... well, scream.

Scammers are getting smarter about the ways they try to trick you into parting with your money this season. And as we head toward the holidays, they’re bound to get even sneakier. It’s really important to be vigilant in protecting yourself from fraud and identity theft. Here are some of the more recent scams we’ve heard about -- and how you can avoid them!

The Amazon Prime Scam
In this ruse, a scammer posing as an Amazon representative will call to notify you about a problem with your Amazon Prime account. The victim will be prompted to download a tool on their computer or mobile device. That “tool” will give the scammer remote access to “help them resolve the problem” that is at hand. If they comply, the victim will then be instructed to log onto their banking account, supposedly so the caller can be compensated for their time. Unfortunately, doing this will give the scammer direct access to the victim’s accounts.

Fake Delivery Issues
Delivery scams generally take the form of a message appearing to be from UPS, FedEx or another delivery service, informing the victim of a “delivery issue” with an order. You’ll be asked to confirm or update your information with the provided link. Doing so will open the door to identity theft and more. In another variation of the delivery scam, a victim will be asked to pay a fee for covering a customs charge or tax. Of course, these fees are invented by the scammer, who will gladly pocket the money.

Sports Tickets
Hoping to score tickets to a great game? In a sport ticket scam, you search online for tickets to a sporting event. An ad appears on the screen, offering tickets to this event. When the target clicks on it, they find their way onto the alleged seller’s webpage. You enter their information, choose seats, input your credit card info, complete the payment and expect to receive confirmation of the sale! Unfortunately, the tickets aren’t coming and you will never hear from the seller again. In another version of the sport ticket scam, you may actually receive an e-ticket after completing the transaction. However, this ticket is useless because it is either counterfeit with forged barcodes and logos or a duplicate of an actual ticket that has already been sold to someone else.

Here are some tips to avoid scams this fall:

• Don’t open links in emails sent from unverified contacts.
• Never allow a stranger access to your device and/or accounts.
• Don’t share sensitive information on the phone or online with an unknown contact.
• If contacted by an alleged representative of Amazon or another large company about an issue with your account, hang up and check your account to see if an issue is actually present.
• Always keep the privacy and spam settings on your computer and mobile devices at their strongest settings.
• If you have an issue with an ordered item, contact the retailer directly through their site and not through a pop-up ad appearing to represent them. Likewise, it’s a good idea to not click through to “support links” that are posted on troubleshooting forums, as they may not be to legitimate service sites.
• Only purchase items from reputable sellers. When shopping on a new site, look for a physical address, a customer service number and copy that’s free of spelling errors and typos.

While the details surrounding the way a scam plays out can vary greatly, most follow a similar theme. They try to get victims to share personal information or to pay for a service or product that doesn’t exist.

Stay vigilant. Above all, remember the golden rule of scams: If it’s too good to be true, it’s probably a scam.