You can save a lot by taking advantage of the holiday deals online merchants offer, but you need to stay alert. Our safe shopping tips can help you score the presents you want without getting scammed.
Between Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the joy of the holidays, ‘tis the season for netizens to walk on the wild side, shopping-wise. Black Friday got its name because traditionally it’s the first day of the year that many stores are “in the black,” and the push for profitability has now spilled over to cover a whole week or more, including Cyber Monday. Retailers and etailers aim for vast numbers of sales, so they offer big discounts to entice shoppers. And like any big online event, this feeding frenzy attracts grifters, scammers, and thieves. You can get some incredible deals during the shopping season, but you can also get robbed blind. With a little care and our good advice, though, you can get your bargains and skip the scams. If It Seems Too Good to Be True… You’ve jonesed all year for that impossibly large 8K TV, but don’t have the thousands to pay for it. Then while you’re idly watching cat videos, an ad pops up offering your prize for just a few hundred. So tempting! But don’t whip out your virtual credit card just yet. First, do a little research on the seller. If possible, check reviews from other buyers. Look up the company on the Better Business Bureau website, and check that site’s Scam Tracker for any reports. Visit consumer complaint websites like ComplaintsBoard and RipoffReport. Didn’t find anything at all? That’s a red flag, too. Even the most praiseworthy online store is going to have some bad reviews, because haters gonna hate. A total absence of complaints and reviews suggests a fly-by-night operation. If it seems too good to be true, it probably isn’t true. Vetting the offer carefully lets you take advantage of oh-so-rare impossibly great deals without getting fooled by fakes. Use a Credit Card If you do make a purchase without being totally sure of the seller, absolutely use a credit card. In general, you have zero liability to pay for a fraudulent transaction. If the seller never delivers, or blows off your attempts to get a refund, or makes illicit purchases using your card, you can report the fraud to your credit card provider. Even if you hit one of the rare exceptions to this policy, federal law says you’re not liable for more than $50. Of course, you need to stay on top of things. Dispute any fraudulent purchases immediately, and contact your provider as soon as it becomes clear that you’re not going to receive what you bought. Debit cards do have some protection, but it’s not as strong or universal as the zero liability of credit cards. Use a credit card! Maybe Mobile, Maybe Not Have you ever gotten a text from an unknown number with a link to a fantastic deal? Perhaps a time-limited deal? I hope you didn’t click it. Phishing via SMS (sometimes called smishing) is very real, and potentially dangerous. Clicking any link from an unfamiliar sender is a bad idea. Perhaps you found a link to an interesting bargain through some more legitimate route, such as a web advertisement or a deals site. Even then, your phone may not be the best place to view that bargain. On the phone’s small screen, you can’t get the full view that you have on a desktop or laptop.
