The last thing your clients want to be this holiday season is Santa for crooks.

So, to help keep money in their pockets and out of the hands of fraudsters, AARP and the Federal Trade Commission offer this advice:

• Keep your debit card in your wallet and pay with a credit card to protect against fraud and theft.

“With credit cards, you are liable for only up to $50 of fraudulent use. In the case of a lost or stolen debit card, your financial loss could be much more significant,” said a fraud alert issued by AARP.

• Look at holiday gift cards carefully to make sure they are legit. Some contain malware. Clues of a fake card include not knowing the sender, not being familiar with the e-card company, and misspellings, AARP pointed out.

• Don’t buy if someone asks you to pay in a way that lets them get the money fast and make it nearly impossible to get it back, such as with iTunes and Amazon gift cards and services like Western Union and MoneyGram, the FTC warned.

* The giving spirit is good. Giving to fake non-profits set up to take advantage of holiday good will is bad, so check out charities before you donate. Due diligence is especially warranted because some phony charities have names that sound like long-time reputable ones.

• Package delivery companies are not responsible for stolen packages that are left at your front door without requiring a delivery signature.