LAFAYETTE,La. (KLFY)– This holiday shopping season, the Better Business Bureau has received numerous reports about shipping tricks that scammers use to steal from online shoppers. Con-artists are using stolen tracking numbers from legitimate products ordered by consumers online.
Chris Babin of the BBB says online shopping scams were the most prevalent scams affecting customers.
Most times, scammers have tactics to try and intercept your package before you receive it or they send tracking information under a false link.
“A lot of times you get an email saying you ordered a package and in some instances, whether their email has been compromised, whether their database has been compromised, if those legitimate tracking numbers get in the hands of scammers, they now pretend to be with the shipping agency hoping to get information out of you using a legitimate tracking number for a package you did order,” he says.
The BBB contacted Paypal about the reports of the scams. Paypal responded saying they notified several shipping couriers of the issue and are stopping many of these fraudulent sellers.
Here’s how you can protect yourself from a package delivery scam:
- Before paying, know your rights and responsibilities. Scammers often take advantage of what consumers don’t know when it comes to processing payments.
- Before buying online, confirm the site has real contact information. Make sure the seller has a working phone number and address on the website.
- Don’t wait to file a dispute. Scammers know that Paypal and credit cards have time limits for disputes.