LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY)– Experts are warning to shop safe and shop smart this holiday season.
In light of Black Friday and Christmas shopping in general, online scammers have plenty of opportunities to take our money. Experts say more people are shopping online. Product shortages and increased online shopping are likely to result in even more online purchase scams this year.
“We would tell people to be leary of online sales, online shopping, online scams, online purchase scams, those things rise dramatically during this time of the year because so many people are shopping online so be leary of what you see on social media, be leary of prices that sound too good to be true,” Chris Babin of BBB of Acadiana says.
Shortages are likely to make purchase scams even more common as desperate shoppers turn to shady websites in hopes of finding this year’s must-have gift.
Scammers know that and use it to their advantage, creating fake websites with too-good-to-be-true prices in hopes of making some easy money.
Tips to avoid online shopping scams:
- Research before you buy. Look up shopper reviews.
- Beware of fake websites.
- Make sure websites are secure. Look for the ‘https:’; the ‘s’ stands for secure.
- Be careful of buying sought-after products. Scammers offer the most popular products for the season at great prices.
If you have a scam you’d like me to investigate, feel free to send me an email at smasters@klfy.com.