WASHINGTON (WDVM) — According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Global Innovation Policy Center, counterfeit items are a problem most of the year, but the high demand for presents means the holiday season is major time for scammers, and with more people turning to online shopping, it is critical to understand the difference between a legitimate sale and a scam.
Financial experts said that each year, thousands of people fall for online holiday shopping scams, and According to the Internet Crime Complaint Center’s 2020 report, non-payment or non-delivery scams combined, cost people and businesses more than a million dollars, and Credit card fraud is estimated for another million in losses.
“Buyer beware there’s some fraudulent websites out there and fraudulent ads that may be selling things like luxury goods that have unrealistic prices. Trust your gut. The other thing that you can do is just check with an independent review site to make sure the site that you’re shopping on is actually a real site,” said Roxann Cooke, regional director at Chase banks.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, says non-delivery scams are most common during the holidays, it’s when a person pays for a product they find online, but those items are never received. In certain circumstances, the buyer not only loses the payment but often their credit card is involved in fraud.
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