ALERT SUMMARY
Shoppers looking for a deal can easily end up on an unknown and possibly fake website. According to Carnegie Mellon University's Cylab Security and Privacy Institute, if you see an online deal that is more than half off the price you would expect to pay, then you should be cautious especially if it is a vendor you don't know.
If the online deal sounds too good to be true, then it just may be a scam that could end in fraudulent credit card charges or a purchase order that never arrives. If the website has disappeared or the company cannot be contacted, the shopper is probably dealing with a scammer. This can happen more easily through online ads and emails received. It doesn't have to be a purchased item and can include other types of online purchases like gift cards and prepaid card as well. To make it even more challenging, these websites can be setup and taken down quicker than ever before making them harder to track down.
In fact, non-delivery scams are one of the most common ways people lose money when purchasing online. In fact, it is the third most common way people get scammed according to the Federal Trade Commission. It happens to younger people more often but older people tend to lose more money.
What can you do to protect yourself and your family? Shopping online is certainly convenient and has been a benefit through the pandemic so stopping online shopping is not the answer. There are things you can do to be a more savvy shopper and increase your online protections.
Next Steps - For additional details and Step-By Step Instructions on how to protect and respond to this Alert, follow the link below.
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