Planning to skip the malls and shop online this holiday season? The explosion of e-commerce has also given rise to an explosion of online shopping scams. Here are a few things to look out for.
For starters, if you’ve never heard of the site, do some research before you buy. A good place to start is the Better Business Bureau, where you can note any complaints.
“The BBB also says use extreme caution when ordering from a company whose existence can’t be verified,” explained Consumer Reports money editor, Octavio Blanco.
If there is no way to get in touch with the company, whether that be a phone number of a mailing address, do not make the purchase.
Another good source of information is online user reviews. Type the name of the company and the keywords “review” and “complaint.” That should bring up red flags with the company. For example, customers may complain that they received knock-offs from the business.
“Also be careful when making purchases on Craigslist or other virtual bulletin boards. The key to trust here is buy local,” warned Blanco.
Craiglist advises to never send money to someone you haven’t met and always arrange to meet in a public place.
The Vancouver Police Department offers up a transaction safe zone right in the lobby of it’s Cambie detachment’s headquarters.
"It's a good option and again it's for those high risk transactions," said Const. Brian Montague with the VPD. “If they’re reluctant to meet in a public place that should raise a red flag.”
With police just steps away, there's a better chance you won't get scammed.
Another scam to watch out for can come in an email claiming to be from a delivery service like FedEx or UPS. It states you have a package and asks for personal information to enable delivery. Do not give that information. Legitimate delivery companies do not ask for this type of information.
