In Depth: Biggest threats of holiday season

The holiday season is upon us, a season of cheer, gift-giving, and time spent with family.

But this year, threats lurk around every corner.

This week on "FOX 11 News In Depth," Hal Eisner explores the best ways to keep yourself and your loved ones safe.

SEGMENT ONE: THE SURGING TRIPLEDEMIC

For the third year in a row, the holiday season comes as COVID cases spike. This year’s surge, however, is accompanied by similar increases in flu and RSV infections. Los Angeles is now in the CDC’s high COVID transmission category, as the county sees its highest flu positivity rate in four years. 

To discuss the state of the tripledemic, as well as the increasingly strained situation in local emergency rooms, and the prospect of a new indoor mask mandate, Hal is joined by Dr. Angelique Campen, Emergency Medicine Physician at Providence St. Joseph in Burbank and Clinical Professor of Emergency Medicine at UCLA.

SEGMENT TWO: THE WAR AGAINST FENTANYL

Last year, some 1,504 fatal fentanyl overdoses were reported in Los Angeles County, roughly four people a day. Nationally, more than 107,000 people lost their lives to drug poisoning during that same time, two-thirds of those overdoses involved fentanyl and other synthetic opioids.

As the threat of fentanyl increases, hundreds of thousands of pounds flowing over the U.S. border, Hal is joined by Bill Bodner, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA’s Los Angeles Field Division. Bodner discusses the status of the fentanyl fight, now focused on education and enforcement, but made all the more difficult by the drug’s availability online and the increasing number of fake prescription pills laced with lethal doses of fentanyl.

SEGMENT THREE: BUYER BEWARE

In 2021, the FBI received more than 800,000 cyber crime complaints, with potential losses nearing $7 billion. Unsuspecting members of the public targeted by scammers, using more varied means than ever before to steal their hard-earned money: e-mail, text, apps, social media posts, even crypto currency.

To discuss the biggest online scams this holiday season, and the best ways to protect yourselves, Hal is joined by Don Alway, Assistant Director of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. Alway recommends online shoppers practice good cybersecurity hygiene, know who they’re buying from or selling to online, and take care of how they pay. The ultimate message though, if a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is.