Holiday Shopping Scams

3 Online Holiday Shopping Scams to Avoid This Year

’Tis the season to be jolly! If you’re like most people, you can’t wait for the delicious desserts and family gatherings this season brings. You’re probably also excited about shopping. Recently, people are doing more of their holiday shopping online rather than at the mall.

It’s nice to sit on the couch and shop in your pajamas. However, online holiday shopping also comes with risks. There are a number of scams that could leave you compromised or even penniless if you’re not careful. 

Here are some of the top scams to avoid as you go about this year’s holiday shopping:

1. Fake Sale Emails (Phishing) Scams

This holiday shopping scam is an easy one to fall for: You get numerous emails about sales from your favorite online vendors. Most of them are real, but some are from scammers.

When you click the link in the email, you’re taken to a site that looks like the real vendor’s site, but it isn’t. You decide to make a purchase and when you enter your credit card numbers, the scammers steal your information. They can then make purchases with your card and possibly steal your identity.

This type of scam is called phishing. Here are a few ways to avoid becoming a victim:

• Don’t navigate to shopping websites through emails.
• Check the navigation bar when you’re on a shopping site. Make sure the web address starts with https://and not “http://.” The “s” stands for secure.
• Use a password manager. It will automatically enter your password when you visit a site you’ve previously visited. It won’t on a fake website.

2. Thieving Private Vendors

You can find a lot of great deals on Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace. You can also find a lot of scammers. A common scam is for someone to request payment before you meet to pick up the item. They ask you to pay with a third-party service. You send over the money. Then, the “seller” disappears.

When buying online from a private party, never pay until you have the item in-hand. Many municipalities have designated meet-up spots, often in police station parking lots. You can get together with sellers to complete transactions.

This is much safer than going to someone’s residence. If your community does not have a meet-up spot like this, meet in a public place and don’t go alone.

3. Hard-to-Claim Rebates

This one is a little harder to spot, and it’s not illegal — just dishonest. You see an ad for a product you’ve wanted at an unbelievable price. You click through and add the item to your cart. At checkout, the price is higher than the advertised price. The low, advertised price was what you’d pay with a later rebate.

You can buy the item and submit the rebate, but some companies make this difficult. If you make even the smallest “mistake” on the rebate form or don’t send it in immediately, you won’t get your money back. You’ve been tricked into paying a higher price.

To avoid this scam, read ads carefully before making a purchase. If there are too many rules, consider yourself warned. Rebates can work with trusted companies.

Shopping is a really fun aspect of the holiday season, but due diligence can protect you from credit card theft and online scams. If you have any doubt about a vendor’s legitimacy, find somewhere else to shop.