'Tis the season to beware of scams.

As Americans start shopping for the December holidays, there are people who are trying to steal from consumers, online and in stores.

But there are steps you can take to avoid getting scammed. The Better Business Bureau has a list of recommendations to look out for this holiday season.

When you’re shopping for gift cards, there are safe and not-so-safe places to shop online.

Check the website you’re buying from to make sure it’s legitimate. If you’re buying a gift card in the store, check to see if it’s been scratched off, or even bent. It could be a sign the number has been stolen, and when you load up the card at the register the money will go to a thief.

If you do get scammed online, check your credit report and call your credit card company to try to dispute the charge.

You can also report a scam to the Better Business Bureau’s scam tracker.

Some scams come directly to your phone. Texts messages with fake shipping notifications can contain links that lead you to harmful websites.

“They’re sending, just blindly texting people, saying your Fed-Ex shipment is on hold, click here to claim. When you click there, you don’t know where you’re going. So it’s always good to really keep track of everything you bought online, who the carrier is, what the tracking number is, even if you put it on paper," said Melanie McGovern, communications director for the Better Business Bureau.

Once you lose money on a scam, it isn’t guaranteed you’ll get it back, so check twice before you check out.

When it comes to the people losing money on scams, it's most often 18-to-24-year-olds.

The typical amount of money lost is around $30 to $60, and usually comes from social media ads.

Shoppers 65 and older lose out on the largest amount of money from scams.