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Hillsborough County Offers Consumers Tips On How To Prevent Scams

One of the best ways to avoid scams is to research the seller before purchasing from them.

By Lily Belcher

While the holiday season is filled with joy and gift giving, many scammers take advantage of the wave of online purchases and rush to find the perfect present. More so, online shopping continues to grow, meaning more purchases are being made, leaving more room for scammers to take advantage of consumers.

Over the past few years, Hillsborough County has been watching both the national and local numbers of scams rise. The increasing number of scams around the holidays prompted Hillsborough County to advertise its tips and advice for avoiding scams, both specific to holidays and in general.

Hillsborough County encourages its citizens to pay attention to who they are making online purchases from. One way to avoid scams is to pay attention to the legitimacy of the website, which can be indicated by the spelling and grammar. Manager of Consumer Protection Services Eric Olsen also mentioned that if a deal is too good to be true, it probably is.

Some warning signs ahead of scams are pressuring sales tactics, big deals and discounts or flash sales that force consumers to make purchases without investigating the seller. Olsen also advised consumers to watch out for sellers who are offering low-stock items, since those are often items that the seller does not have available to sell.

“You want to be careful when you are doing business with someone you…

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