ROSEVILLE, Minn. – The season of giving this time of year usually includes lots of spending. Unfortunately, nefarious people take advantage of that.
Last year, 40% of all scams reported to the Better Business Bureau involved online shopping. Much of which occurs during the holiday season.
The busiest shopping season of the year is upon us, and while malls like Rosedale aren’t bustling quite just yet, the rush to find good deals and hit shipping deadlines is approaching.
“But when we get to a scrambling phase, we’re gonna be more susceptible to scams that come our way in social media, text messages, in emails,” said Bao Vang with the Better Business Bureau of Minnesota and North Dakota. “And we’re not gonna be thinking as logically as we do throughout the year about being a victim of scammers.”
Spending you money at a brick-and-mortar store is one of the safest ways to avoid scams. But our shopping habits are trending toward the online market place, where criminals are lurking.
“They’re gonna try to do two things. Number 1, try to take your hard-earned money, or number 2, they are trying to steal your identity,” Vang said.
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Impersonation scams is one method, such as a fake website that looks like a legitimate retailer. It will claim to have a product that’s sold out everywhere else, or have one at a cheaper price than other…
