MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) – We are now well into the holiday season — Thanksgiving will be here in one week and Christmas is now 39 days away. It’s also a time of year when scams accelerate – that’s why FOX 10 News teamed up with AARP for a Fraud Awareness Event.

With the phone lines open — representatives from AARP, the Better Business Bureau, Alabama Securities Commission, and the Mobile County District Attorney’s Office were manning the phone bank — ready to take your questions.

With the holidays often come scams — that prey on people’s generosity — and often times those scammers will target the elderly.

“This lady had got a call that she had won the Publishers Clearing House, but they just needed her to go buy some gift cards so they could start processing her big win for several million dollars,” said Monde Donaldson, Vice President of Better Business Bureau of Educational Foundation.

If it sounds too good to be true — they say it usually is — gift cards a big red flag.

Other common signs of a scam:

Callers asking for money or personal information.

Unauthorized charges on your credit card — if that’s the case — call your bank immediately.

“This is my second Facebook Marketplace phone call. So I think particularly with the uptick with business around the holidays and everyone likes to shop online — there’s a lot more scammers on Facebook Marketplace,” said Jo Holcombe, AARP Alabama.

And what to do about all of those unwanted calls?

“Most of the people…