RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Millions of consumers are preparing to shop online for Cyber Monday — but experts say shoppers should be alert to potential scams.
According to Barry Moore, the President of Better Business Bureau of Central Virginia,
this holiday season they’re predicting $380 million in online shopping fraud.
With high gas prices, Moore is predicting online shopping will be busier compared to last year.
During Cyber Monday, many consumers will head to websites where they can buy from third parties.
In those cases, Moore recommends people verifying who they’re actually buying from.
“That’s difficult on these online companies. They’re phishing for your information over the last 6-7 months. They’ve been watching you on the paid sites,” says Moore. “Try to look the companies up. Try to see in the spelling of their website and their address if the spelling is correct. Most fraudulent sites have things misspelled.”
Moore also warns shoppers to be aware if websites ask you for different forms of payment. He says if you’re not asked for a regular credit card, steer away from that website.
“If they ask you for different forms of payment your antenna should go up and say this is too good to be true. What are they looking to scam me on, why are they looking for other types of payment,” explains Moore. “Credit card is the easiest one, you can stop a credit card.”
Consumers should also know when their items are suppose to arrive.
“By law, in almost every state, you have to get the product within 30 days if they don’t say it will be there within 5 days. So get the shipping information and contact the shipper because if
the shipper isn’t legitimate and doesn’t know where your order is, that means you got scammed,” Moore tells 8News.
If you think you’re targeted by a scam while Cyber Monday shopping, you can check scam tracker, where you can see if a similar scam has been reported.
