By Juliana ORork, VP of Marketing, Communications & Business Developmentat BBB Southern Piedmont & Western NCResearch the seller or retailer.Before you buy, check customer reviews of the product(s) youre interested in purchasing, and do some research on the retailer.Be sure you can find contact information for the seller, and make note of it.Look up the retailer onBBB.orgto see if they are BBB Accredited and check out their profile to read customer reviews.Watch for email and text phishing attempts that appear to come from a popular retailer.Phishing increasesduring busy shopping days.
These messages may claim you have a gift waiting for you, or that there is a problem with delivery.Know what youve opted in and out of before you click.When making many purchases, track your purchase, where its from, and any tracking numbers.Watch out forfake package delivery text messagesand dont click on any links that you receive that seem suspicious.Watch out for social media ads.You may come across lookalike websites that, at first glance, appear to belong to a trusted retailer.
But looking more closely at the URL, youll notice that the domain name is slightly different (i.e., Instead of Popularstore.com, the URL might be PopvlarStore.com or PopularStoreOnline.com).Ensure websites use the correct business name spelling and have legitimate contact information and customer service numbers.Also, trust your gut when evaluating deals.If a company claims to sell the hottest item of the year at a super low price, its probably untrue.Beware of lookalike websites.
Check the URL, watch for bad grammar,research the age of the domain, search for contact information, and read online reviews.Professional photos do not mean its a real offer.Photos can be stolen from other websites, so dont believe what you see.If logos or other images on the website appear blurry, take that as a red flag for a scam.Make sure the website is secure.Look for theHTTPS in the URL(the extra s is for secure) and a small lock icon on the address bar.Never enter payment or personal information into a website with only HTTP.
It is NOT secure.Be careful when purchasing sought-after products.If something is sold out everywhere, dont be tempted by a seemingly great deal.Scammers often trick shoppers by offering the most popular products at low prices.Heresone example involving game consoles.Pay with a credit card.Its always best to make online purchases with your credit card.If any shady charges pop up later, you can contest them through your credit card company.
Be very wary of any retailer that asks you to pay bydigital wallet apps, prepaid money cards, or other non-traditional payment methods.These are red flags for scams.We hope you never do, but should you become the target of a scam, please visit BBB.org/ScamTracker.You can also email questions or concerns to [email protected] or call them at 704-927-8611.The Better Business Bureau offers many resources for older adults, which can be found on their website at BBB.org/olderadults.
Disclaimer: This story is auto-aggregated by a computer program and has not been created or edited by Senior Savings Deals.
Publisher: Life Plan Community ( Read More )
Publisher: Life Plan Community ( Read More )
