“As more people go online to shop and the sales start earlier and earlier, our warning is to take your time and to use caution because more and more of those offers are going to be scams.”
That’s Troy Baker, Director of the Educational Foundation for the Better Business Bureau Serving Western Michigan. The Better Business Bureau says scams being perpetrated online have risen 87-percent since the BBB Scam Tracker launched in 2015.
“We’ve been watching scams for a long time and we see the trend for online purchase scams grow each year. This year approaching 380 million dollars, so far.”
BBB research reveals a vast majority of consumers lost money, making online shopping fraud one of the most dangerous and successful. Baker says there are some tips for safe online shopping, which include, shoppers doing their research, knowing return policies, using a credit card and one of the biggest... making sure the sites you use, are secure.
“Look at the top of your browser at your URL and make sure it’s Https. For secure. You’ll usually have a closed lock next to it. A lot of browsers are getting better at identifying unsecure websites. But if it’s not a secure website, you shouldn’t be entering in your personal information or your credit card information.”
You can find more information or make a report at BBB.org/scamtracker.
