If you are making a purchase from sites that appear in pop-ads or on social media, watch out.
If you are not careful, you could get scammed. Before you click and pay, watch out. Many of these deals are not for real.
Here is what you can do to avoid getting taken:
If you click on a site and are not sure if the company or deal is legitimate, do an online search by typing in the name of the company or product with words like scam, complaint, or rip-off. Also, check consumer resources such as the Better Business Bureau or the Federal Trade Commission.
Watch out for telltale signs of a scam such as vague information, no street address or phone number, poor grammar or spelling errors, and fake claims that the product has appeared on television shows, or is endorsed by celebrities.
If you decide to take a chance and order the product, pay with a credit card. Some of these companies have been known to not ship products, charge more than expected, and continue to bill, debit or charge for products that were not ordered or received.
If you suspect that you have fallen victim to this type of scam, contact state and federal consumer resources to report the problem. If you paid via credit card, dispute the charge with your card issuer. You may not be able to dispute a debit. But, if you paid via a debit card, alert your bank to prevent against future debits.
