The Christmas holiday is a little more than a week away, and shoppers are making their best efforts to finish up their gift lists. Whether it’s in-store or online, they’re are getting helpful reminders to steer clear of scams. With shipping windows closing, in-person shopping is more of a likely option at this point. Brad Anderson of A-A-R-P Iowa says if possible, use your credit card instead of a debit card. In case the store is targeted by hackers, or if a return nightmare surfaces, credit cards provide more protections. And when making the rounds at stores, he says price comparisons can sometimes lead you down a tricky path…
| “If you’re at a store and like a lot of people, you Google the product that you’re thinking about buying and all of a sudden, an ad pops up and you see that ‘Oh my gosh, I can get this product online for 70% cheaper,’ odds are that’s probably some type of scam.” |
He says if it appears to be too good to be true, your best bet is to buy the item in the store. Despite cybersecurity improvements, holiday shoppers are also urged to be careful using public Wi-Fi, as these connections are still targeted by hackers.
If you plan to buy online, experts say there are things to be mindful of before clicking the ‘purchase’ link. Amy Nofziger, director of fraud victim support at A-A-R-P, says fake social-media ads are a big concern this year, with fake ‘companies’ behind some posts. She adds the supply-chain issues could prompt people to bypass trusted companies through internet searches…
| “They’re finding these websites that look legitimate, but they’re not. So again, take the name of the company, put it in a search engine, and do your research.” |
When entering an unfamiliar company’s name, she suggests typing the words ‘review,’ ‘scam’ and ‘complaints’ to see what pops up. Another common scam is a message disguised as a warning from well-known delivery companies, indicating something went wrong with a shipment to your address. Experts say they often include harmful links. These and other tips are on A-A-R-P’s website.
(Courtesy Iowa News Service)
