BPD Community Alert: As the holiday season and shopping begins, fraudsters will look to take advantage. Online Shopping Scams are considered to be one of the common holiday scams.
The Better Business Bureau (BBB) warns shoppers against an increase in fake websites or personal sellers offering discounts this holiday season.
Fake ads posted on social media sites show expensive or in high demand products at unbelievably low prices, luring in potential victims.
Scammers create bogus sites stealing photos and logos from legitimate businesses to obtains PII, credit card information or send shoppers a cheap counterfeit product.
Reporting Holiday Scams:
- Local Police Departments
- Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/
- FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at https://www.ic3.gov/
- If the scammers obtained your Social Security number, go to IdentityTheft.gov (https://www.identitytheft.gov/), to see what steps to take including how to monitor your credit.