As Christmas gets closer, criminals are looking at every possible method to steal money and personal information.

Cyber criminals become more aggressive during the holiday season, according to the FBI.

A common scam includes an e-mail leading to a Web site that appears to be a real business or charity, according to the FBI. There also are online surveys that offer payment for completion but request financial information.

“These cyber scammers will do whatever they can to steal your money and personal information this holiday season, and are trying many different ways to commit these crimes. The best way to protect yourself is to report these scams to law enforcement,” said Shawn Henry, assistant director of the FBI cyber division in Washington, D.C., in a news release.

There have already been reports this year of people creating fake charitable sites for the holidays, said Capt. Howard Logue of the Kentucky State Police electronic crimes unit in Frankfort.

Scammers create a Web site that looks official and trick people into giving money or information, Logue said.

“If you look at site information closely you can learn that the URL is from China or somewhere else,” he said. “In a lot of cases these people are nearly impossible to catch because the site goes down as quickly as it went up.”

Law enforcement has made a few arrests in these cases and is getting better at tracking down those responsible for fake sites, Logue said.

The Better Business Bureau also has a list of online scams. One is a guaranteed $25,000 government grant, another is from a newspaper company claiming the person has won $485,000.

Scams also are being conducted online featuring tickets for President-elect Barack Obama’s inauguration, false package delivery e-mail viruses, mystery shopper positions and a false Chevron/Texaco award scam.

Cyber scammers continue to find creative ways to trick people into providing personal information that can be exploited for financial gain, said James Hendricks, supervisory senior resident agent at the FBI in Bowling Green. Citizens are reminded to use extra caution when opening e-mails and providing personal information this holiday season.

“There have only been a few complaints of cyber scams in the Bowling Green area involving unsolicited e-mails,” he said. “However, as the holiday season continues and the scammers learn from each other, more citizens will likely receive the e-mails containing malic ious software.”

One way people can avoid scammers is to give directly to local agencies, said Shawn Helbig, president of the Bowling Green chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police.

“When you donate to a local charity, you can see exactly where your money goes,” he said.

Giving locally means more money remains within the community and goes to the charity, he said. State and national groups by nature of their size have larger overhead costs.

Those wishing to give also should be on the lookout for fraudulent groups, Helbig said. People who are considering a donation should have time to make their decision.

“If they want the money right away, they’re probably a fly-by-night operation that won’t be there tomorrow,” he said.

Consumers are being advised to be careful when purchasing gift cards because of companies filing bankruptcy and going out of business, according to the Better Business Bureau, and should do some research on retailers or companies before purchasing gift cards.

Anyone receiving a scam e-mail may report it to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.IC3.gov.