JACKSON, Tenn. — For those Santa helpers who are shopping online, the Better Business Bureau has some tips before you add items to your cart.
“It’s a lot of red flags out there, so of course, if a company is asking you to pay using third party apps like Cash App or Zelle, you might want to steer away from that. Of course, it’s an up and coming business who may not have that platform,” said Toddnetta Trice, Communications specialist for the Better Business Bureau.
The Better Business Bureau says that 41% of all scams reported to their scam tracker services in 2023 are prominent around the holidays. One tip they share is to contact your bank prior to finalizing a purchase.
“Make sure you contact your bank and let them know “Hey, I am going to be doing a lot of purchasing for the holidays and what happens if I do come across a scam or I do get scammed? What are my options? Will I get my money back?” so you want to weigh that option with your bank,” said Trice.
Some online stores may have final sales so before buying make sure you’re aware of the return policy.
“What you’re buying, there’s a possibility you may not be able to return it. So always look up that return policy and always get gift receipts so you can be able to return gifts,” said Trice.
With these purchases being delivered, do not fall into the trap of phising text messages.
“Don’t click on any suspicious links, that is the biggest phishing scam of all. That is the USPS or the or the UPS or the FedEx text messages like ‘Hey we got a delay in your package or you got a notification.’ That throws you into the loophole of the scam those are becoming super popular,” said Trice.
If you’re looking online for an item that may be sold out in stores, be sure that the website is not an imposter site.
“Be careful, if it’s too good to be true it probably is. So, be careful when you are looking for toys and things of that nature. We live in a digital world so you’re typing in one thing on Google, you’re on social media you’re starting to see a lot of pop ups,” said Trice.
The BBB also suggests using a credit card instead of using your debit card.
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