ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – Cyber Monday is set to be the biggest day for online spending and while you’re trying to score the best deal, a scammer is trying to score your personal information.
A Better Business Bureau (BBB) report found online scam reports reached an all-time high in 2021, with the total money loss reaching $380 million.
Among the tactics:
- Nearly 36% of reported online retail fraud originated through a fake website.
- About 40% of scammers used social media and email to initiate a scam.
- Most scammers enticed shoppers through prices that are too good to be true.
A major tactic was a credit card payment failure that lead the shopper through an alternative payment process at which point they would be asked to provide payment over peer-to-peer apps (Venmo, Zelle, PayPal) or with gift cards.
BBB of Northern Georgia Consumer Expert Simone Williams says the best way to avoid these scams is to verify the website’s URL is legitimate, only pay with a credit card, and use a map app to verify a business’ address.
If you do fall victim to a scam or think you may have been targeted, Williams says you should contact the Better Business Bureau through the BBB Scam Tracker. You should also report the scam to the FTC and to your credit card issuer if you provided sensitive information.
For more information on online scams, click here.
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