![]() The link will take you to a bogus website that mimics the home page of that trusted retailer or package delivery service. The bad guys send text and email messages that claim a delivery can’t be completed until you click on the link and provide more information. Postal Service), and major online retailers (Amazon, Apple, Best Buy, Walmart). With so much holiday shopping taking place online, it’s easy to let your guard down.įraudsters are very good at pretending to be delivery services (UPS, FedEx, DHL, U.S. Watch out for delivery service impersonatorsĭelivery scams take place year-round, but they’re a really powerful lure at this time of year. If you get burned, chances are you will never get your money back. ![]() Peer-payment apps warn customers that they should only be used to transfer money to friends, family, or others you know and trust. It’s a huge red flag if a merchant asks you to pay with a peer-to-peer app (such as Zelle, Venmo, or Cash App), gift cards, or cryptocurrency. ![]() If the bank denies your claim, that money is gone forever. When you purchase something with a debit card, the money is automatically withdrawn from your checking account and you won’t have access to those funds while the bank investigates-and that can take weeks. ![]() If you challenge a credit card transaction, you don’t have to pay the disputed amount while the credit card company investigates. According to federal law, if the merchandise isn’t what you ordered or is damaged-or never arrives- you can dispute the charge, and in most cases, you’ll get your money back.ĭebit cards provide some fraud protection, but not as much as credit cards. Credit cards provide the most protection. How you pay matters, especially when you shop online or over the phone. Why a credit card is the safest way to pay If you decide to make a purchase, use a credit card, so you can dispute the charges if things go wrong. “Scammers are known for putting up websites pretty quickly, they can look really professional, and then they bring them down real fast when they get targeted,” she told Checkbook. Be “very, very careful and do some extra due diligence” if the site is brand new, Trumpower advised. You can also see how long the site has been around. “Even a general Google search will bring up things people are saying about a website that you’ve never been to before,” said Melissa Lanning Trumpower, executive director of the BBB Institute for Marketplace Trust. What then?īefore you click on any links or provide any personal or payment information, do some extra work: Search for the company on the BBB website or use the BBB Scam Tracker tool to find out if the site is trustworthy. But sometimes, we find ourselves on an unfamiliar retailer’s site. Most of us visit familiar online sites, such as Amazon, Walmart, or Apple. If the advertised price is well below the going rate, especially on a popular item, that’s a big red flag. They reported that price was the biggest motivator for making the purchase. The BBB surveyed people who reported losing money to online shopping scams. Sometimes, they’ll ship counterfeit goods-which can be dangerous-or stolen merchandise. In most cases, the scammers never send anything. Regardless of the pitch, the bad guys are after your personal information, including credit and debit card numbers. “If something seems off, don’t dismiss the alarm bells only because you know the person who shared the content.” “Scammers are trying to reach you on social media through posts of their own, posts that your friends shared, accounts impersonating people you may know, and purchased advertisements,” Breyault said. To get you to their copycat bogus sites, scammers run ads on social media offering high-demand items at ridiculously low prices. “These scammers are getting very good, and unfortunately, I don’t think that people’s defenses against them are keeping up,” said John Breyault, a vice president at the National Consumers League, which runs the website.Ī common trick is to create fake websites that are often indistinguishable from the real ones. consumers reported losing $358 million to online scams last year, according to the Federal Trade Commission. While many con artists still call their victims, reports of online scams to the Better Business Bureau (BBB) have increased by 87% since 2015.Įven more alarming, BBB Scam Tracker data (see chart below) show that victims of online scams are more likely to lose money. SEATTLE - The holiday shopping season is especially lucrative for scammers.
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