The holiday shopping season is about to kick into high gear and there’s a good chance that you’ll be doing a lot of your holiday shopping online. Browsing, searching, clicking and paying can be convenient, but don’t let your guard down.
According to the Federal Trade Commission, Americans have lost billions in recent years to scams originating on social media. Online shopping scams are the most common type of social media fraud.
Consumers should be on the lookout for fake ads. Scammers will advertise products for sale and when you make the purchase either directly through a social platform or after following a link to a bogus website, the items never arrive.
“This really affects the younger generations,” said Ally Armeson of the Cybercrime Support Network. “And really during the holiday season, consider just shopping at the big well-known brands...and using their official websites.”
Get Boston local news, weather forecasts, lifestyle and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Boston’s newsletters.
If you’re skeptical about a website -- maybe you’ve never heard of the company before or the deals seems too good to be true or something just feels off--- investigate before you enter personal or financial information.
“The big things to watch out for when you're shopping online are fake websites. Scammers are getting really good at creating websites that look very similar to the official website of popular retailers. So, check that URL.”
Scam websites often have very similar URLs to the real site. They may interchange two letters so look closely.
“The https is something to look for,” said Armeson. “That means there is a secure connection. But some skilled scammers will just create a website that has that secure connection. But that just means you have a secure connection to your scammer now. “
Do a deep dive on the site. Look for contact information, clear shipping and return policies, and an address and phone number. Google the address to see if it looks legitimate and call the number. If it’s disconnected or you don’t get an answer, that’s a red flag.
Scrutinize the layout of the website. If the pictures are blurry and the posted links don’t work, take your business elsewhere.
Bad grammar is usually a tell-tale sign of a scam site. But things are getting trickier.
Now, scammers have generative AI tools that they can use to confuse consumers even more.
More consumer news
“Those are big indicators too -- the spelling, the grammar errors. We may see that start to decline now that we have generative AI. Chat GPT can do wonderful things with that, but also scammers can do wonderful things with that.”
And always do an online search with some keywords
“Type in the company's name, the store's name. And you can put in words like review or scam behind it and see what pops up. If there's kind of a mix of reviews and people are shopping there, OK,” said Armeson. “But if nothing comes up, that's a red flag.”
If you’re still not sure, bring in some backup! Sometimes getting a friend or relative to take a second look at the website helps. Ask if it looks legit to them and if they have ever heard of it. They can help you determine if it's real or not.
If you have a consumer problem, contact NBC10 Boston Responds by filling out our online consumer complaint form.
