MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) – With less than a week to go before Christmas, people are rushing to get the perfect gifts before the big day. But shoppers beware. This is the peak season for scammers.
Monde Donaldson with the Better Business Bureau told FOX10 the number one scam that we’re going to see this week is online shopping scams.
“This week you’re going to see a lot of scams where people are scrambling and they’re trying to get that last-minute gift. They’re seeing something online. The price looks so good, they’re going to jump at it and they’re not going to research it,” Donaldson said.
And they come in different forms. But one of the biggest is through social media.
That’s where criminals can use your personal information against you when trying to get you to fall victim.
“You have to really research the item. They need to see if there’s any complaints against that particular seller in the past. If you know a particular item and what it normally sells for, and you see something in an ad that just looks so great, I would be very weary,” Donaldson said.
So how can you protect others? Donaldson says when you discover scams, it’s important to report them.
“If they don’t speak up and alert their neighbors and let their friends know that these scams are going on, then you might think it’s okay. You might think it’s legitimate and you might think it’s only you. But really, you need to speak up, let people know, and report these scams so we can try…
