Scammers are ready to pounce on unsuspecting holiday scrollers. According to a recent study by the Better Business Bureau, bogus online sales contributed to a 125% uptick in fraud reports. “Any item that’s sold out everywhere else—if you see it randomly on a website you’ve never heard of, there’s a good chance it could be fraudulent,” said Melanie McGovern with the Better Business Bureau.
Online shoppers might not even realize they’re buying from a third-party vendor and not directly from a reputable shopping website. Not only does this open the door for fraudulent transactions but also faulty products. “Unsafe products like pajamas that violate federal flammability standards and carbon monoxide detectors that don’t work have been sold by third-party sellers,” said Oriene Shin.
“Our laws simply haven’t kept up with the emergence of online marketplaces, and, as a result, they aren’t providing legal and financial incentives for companies to keep consumers safe. That needs to change.”
Before you click ‘buy,’ do your homework. Shop online with a credit card.
Most credit cards offer fraud protection. If your order never arrives on your doorstep, dispute the charge. Over one-third of U.S. adults who have bought something through an ad on their social media feed report being defrauded, according to a new AARP survey.
Don’t let scammers advertise their way into your wallet this new year; here are three tips to stay ahead of social media shopping scams. 1. Don’t Click on the Ad: If the ad appears to be from a known retailer, type the address into your browser or use the retailer’s app.
Scammers can impersonate legitimate retailers, and clicking on the ad could bring you to a copycat site. 2.
Holiday shopping scams exposed
Read Reviews and Research: If the ad is from a retailer you’re unfamiliar with, verify the site’s legitimacy. Research the company and check for complaints with organizations like the Better Business Bureau. 3.
Check the Product Quality: Be wary of bait-and-switch scams where you receive a product inferior to what was advertised (or you receive nothing at all). If this happens, you can contact your credit card company to dispute the charge. Shopping on Black Friday and other big sale days used to be a fun way to score amazing deals.
However, according to TikToker @liz.pop, that may no longer be the case. Her investigation reveals some stores may be deceiving customers by inflating prices before the big day, only to reduce them back to normal on Black Friday. In her video, @liz.pop starts by showing an Ember tumbler, claiming it is originally priced at $179.99, with a Black Friday deal of $143.99.
However, she highlights the dates on the price tag, from November 24 to 30. The catch? She explains, “Look at this.
I bought this exact item for my dad for his birthday on November 23rd,” revealing that the same 16oz travel mug in black was purchased for $80. This means the store increased the price significantly just before the ‘sale,’ misleading customers about the discount. Viewers of the video expressed their frustration in the comments, with many sharing similar experiences.
One user stated, “You can’t trust these stores anymore.”
Such revelations may make consumers more cautious when shopping during major sales events like Black Friday. It’s a reminder to always double-check prices beforehand to ensure that you are truly getting a good deal.
