Scammers getting flashy ads, faux websites in front of holiday shoppers
From the surge of Black Friday shopping to last-minute purchasing and all the joy or stress in between now and Christmas, there are more online fraudulent sites than ever before.
The most common scams during the holidays are gift card scams, counterfeit products, and fake delivery of promised items, according to the AARP.
While the elderly are often seen as the most susceptible, younger consumers between the ages of 18-24 are losing the most money to scams, AARP indicates.
Watch out for Fakes!
There are more illegitimate website stores than ever and more troublesome, they are now very sophisticated – hard to recognize as what they genuinely are.
Online shopping scams accounted for 41 percent of all scams reported to the Better Business Bureau’s (BBB) Scam Tracker service in 2023. The trajectory is certain to keep rising.
How so? The answer is Internet technology.
Advanced and accessible web tools make it easy for scammers to not just create fake websites, they are now publishing bogus advertisements and getting them in front of your eyes.
They fool shoppers by not just getting homesite links in Google searches, but now getting online ads in the mix of social media posts.
These ads often dupe shoppers by appearing to be professional with sharp photos and logos.
Trendy Gifts in Stock at Great Price
The BBB advises that shoppers be particularly careful when shopping for the season’s hottest toys or other must-have items that stores have run out of, but a website claims to have an abundant supply of at a low price.
BBB adds that when you spot an ad in your social media feed, be skeptical because when you do, chances are that you are more likely to provide your personal and payment information and get nothing in return or a cheap counterfeit version.
Clues to Spot Fakes
The BBB advocates that shoppers research a company they’ve never done business with (and even ones customers have shopped with to verify their reputation is still good).
Be sure and check these online companies out on BBB.org and read online reviews to learn if other consumers have had a good experience with them.
Also, the BBB suggests shoppers beware of phony websites that look like a legitimate retailer, but the site’s spelling is off or words have been added to the domain name.
Ones with missing contact information or only being able to communicate with the company via a contact page or email are also red flags that the website may not be legitimate. Don’t be swayed by a flashy website or professional looking photos, BBB warns.
Additional consumer tips from the Federal Trade Commission on the financial trappings include the following:
Check the terms of the sale. Look at the price, other charges, their refund policy, who pays for return shipping, and if there’s a restocking fee.
Pay by credit card, whenever possible. Credit cards offer more protections, and give you the option to dispute charges if what you get isn’t what you ordered, or you get nothing at all.
Never buy from online sellers who demand you pay with gift cards, wire transfers, payment apps, or cryptocurrency. Only scammers tell you to pay that way.