Fake advertisements for online shopping result in 125 percent increase in scams reported to BBB

QUINCY — The winter holidays are the busiest shopping season of the year. Unfortunately, that means scammers will be busy, too.

To help you know what to look out for this holiday season, BBB just released an update to its 2021 investigation and 2022 update on online shopping scams.

Last year, we received reports from shoppers who lost money to fake advertisements on social media for popular items like beauty products and viral tumbler mugs. These ads contributed to a 125% rise in online shopping scam reports to BBB.

Because so many people shop online, online purchase scams are among the most common reported to BBB each year. Over 80% of reports to BBB about this kind of scam indicated that the person lost money.

The holiday season is hectic, and scammers take advantage of the increased demand and hope that shoppers will be too busy or distracted to notice something is off.

The good news is that because online shopping scams are so common, we have tips for how to spot and avoid them.

Long story short: A super-steep discount on a hard-to-find viral gift could be a scam, especially if it’s not from a trusted, familiar seller. If you buy the item, there’s a good chance it will never arrive, and the scammer will run off with your money or personal information.

Red flags of an online shopping scam:

• Items offered at a deep discount
• Too-good-to-be-true deals
• Popular items sold by unknown retailer
• Seller asks for payment through a payment app
• Unprofessional web pages
• Extra-long shipping windows

Tips for shopping safely this holiday season:

• Research sellers at BBB.org before you buy
• Compare item to a trusted retailer’s prices and shipping windows
• Don’t trust a social media advertisement without doing further research
• Be extra alert when buying a viral item
• Avoid sales offering multiple items for the price of one
• Use a credit card so you can dispute the purchase later if needed

If you think you’ve run into an online shopping scam, you can report it to BBB Scam Tracker to help other shoppers stay informed. It can be overwhelming to know what to do after a scam – BBB’s Scam Survivor Toolkit can help you make a customized recovery plan.

Visit BBB.org/scamstudies for more on this and other scams.

Don O’Brien is the regional director for the Quincy Better Business Bureau. Contact him at dobrien@quincybbb.org or 217-209-3972.