TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) – While you may be a pretty savvy shopper, scammers are getting more sophisticated as well, experts say.
“These criminals are smart. They really use technology to their advantage,” said Amy Rasor, Fort Worth Regional Director for the Better Business Bureau.
That’s because even if you’re not shopping, your every move is being monitored. “You may have emailed someone, you may have had a discussion and your Alexa picked it up,” said Rasor. “Everything is being tracked at this point.”
That’s why the ads you see on Facebook, Instagram and other platforms seem so familiar. While tapping on them may lead to a good deal, it could also lead you straight into a scam.
“People pretend that they’re Google, Amazon, the IRS,” said Rasor. “It’s the same thing with products – they can easily mimic a brand.”
That’s what happened to Christy Oxner. The Weatherford woman was scrolling through Facebook when an ad caught her eye.
“It looked like James Avery. There was nothing indicating it wasn’t James Avery.”
Oxner clicked on the ad, which took her to a website advertising a big sale. She filled her cart and didn’t notice any red flags until she checked out.
“Once I hit purchase, it popped up where it was from and it just didn’t say James Avery.” Instead, it was a series of random letters and numbers. The same code popped up on her PayPal account, which she had used to make the purchase.
Oxner thought maybe it was an outlet or independent…
