BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — As the holiday shopping rush kicks into high gear with Black Friday and Cyber Monday, scammers are also ramping up their efforts to target unsuspecting consumers looking for deals and gifts.
"You know, the scammers go where the money is, and holiday shopping is a big time for a lot of money people are spending online," said Joe Ducey with the Better Business Bureau.
Ducey says scammers are opportunistic and don't just target online shoppers. They also go after people looking for temporary holiday work by posting fake job ads that promise high pay. These scams often involve fake checks or investment schemes.
"In some cases, they are going to send you a fake check, and say you need to set up something remotely for them and you need to send some of that money to someone else, and you send your good money, and by the time you know the check they sent you is bad, your money is gone, you lost your money," Ducey said.
Ducey says ads offering holiday gift exchanges or free gift cards are also common right now. By clicking on those links or visiting their websites, you could download malware, giving scammers access to your personal information.
"Some of these places actually put an additional word in the website, so you've got the company name, and it will say 'store' on it, dot com. Look to know exactly where you're going," Ducey said.
If you're unsure whether a site is legitimate, Ducey recommends checking the Better Business Bureau website or doing a quick Google search. Negative reviews, or no reviews at all, can be signs of a scam. He also warns against paying with a debit card or cash apps, which can give scammers direct access to your bank account.
"Stick with a credit card, legitimate companies are going to be able to take credit cards, you should be able to pay with that because you have 60 days to fight it later if you don't get the product, or you don't get something you thought you were going to get," Ducey said.
Watch out for fake package delivery texts, often called phishing scams. Make sure to verify the message directly through the carrier.
To stay safe while holiday shopping, stick to reliable retailers and familiar websites, avoid suspicious URLs, check reviews, and use a credit card instead of a debit card when shopping online.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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