Holiday shopping has already begun. Now that Halloween is over, most consumers have their attention turned to Thanksgiving, Christmas, and all of the holidays in between. This includes not only shopping for presents but also for décor, gourmet holiday meals, and holiday parties.
It’s easier than ever to shop from the comfort of your home. Every store has a website. Facebook will have ads that show you your heart’s desire (how does it always know?), and Amazon will tempt you with new deals every time you open the app.
In some instances, the browser will even remember your shipping address and credit card number. This can be dangerous because you don’t have that extra moment to decide if you want to make the purchase while you reach for your wallet. Additionally, browser storage isn’t as secure as you might think, which means that a semi-talented hacker could acquire that number in seconds.
The market is ripe for scams because of a downturned economy. More scammers are out there, hoping that you’re willing to click on a deal that seems too good to be true.
There are a few ways to be safe.
- Do your research on a product. Find out if it’s from a legitimate website and that it ships to you from within the United States. There are all sorts of bogus products on social media sites, so just because it’s offered on Facebook or TikTok doesn’t automatically make it worthy.
- Pay with a credit card rather than PayPal or a prepaid gift card. The reason is so that you can fight the payment if it ends up being a scam. You won’t have that same ability with other payment methods.
- Keep all of the emails that you get, including order confirmations and shipment tracking information.
- Open the packaging immediately to ensure you got what you paid for. Even though you may not plan on wrapping the gift for another month, inspect the package as many companies have a short return window of 7 days (or less) after your package has been delivered.
These tips can help to keep you safe as you shop. There are plenty of good deals to go around, but you have to do your due diligence. Do some comparison shopping. When you’re looking to save, don’t forget to check for promo codes that could save you on shipping or offer a percentage off.
Remember: if a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is.
