Online shopping scams flourish on social media during pandemic

A shift toward online shopping during COVID-19, a global supply chain crisis, and a resurging economy have all created a recipe for a breakneck holiday shopping season – one where online shopping fraud poses a tremendous risk to consumers. Online purchase scams have skyrocketed during the pandemic, and social media ads play a key role in the mushrooming problem, a new Better Business Bureau® (BBB ®) study finds.  

The in-depth investigative study – Theft on a massive scale: Online shopping fraud and the role of social media – finds the pandemic, along with lax social commerce shopping platforms, has opened the door for scammers in China to steal from desperate online shoppers. Read the full study. 

Online shopping fraud has been growing for several years, but according to BBB research, it dramatically increased during the pandemic as more people shopped online. A BBB survey found 29% of

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Energy companies, Better Business Bureau warn against utility scams

Published: 11/28/2021 11:05:27 AM

Energy customers are warned not to get burned as temperatures drop this winter.

Eversource and the Better Business Bureau (BBB) expect to see a rise in utility scams during the coming weeks as more scammers become increasingly sophisticated in the way they find unique schemes to take advantage of people.

Scam artists — often sounding legitimate — may threaten to shut off electric service immediately unless instant payment is made, or could claim the customer overpaid a utility bill and request personal bank account or credit card information to give a refund. Penni Conner, executive vice president of customer experience and energy strategy at Eversource, said someone suggesting you pay a bill immediately with a prepaid debit card should be an automatic “red flag.”

“Scammers are constantly changing their tactics to take advantage of unsuspecting customers and prey on people when they feel most vulnerable, like

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Watch out for social media advent calendar scams

BBB Scam Tracker is getting reports of a seasonal spin on social media ad scams. This time, scammers are targeting holiday shoppers with themed advent calendars.

How the Scam Works

As you scroll through your social media feed, you come across a themed advent calendar that looks fun and unique. Judging by the comments on the post, many people have already purchased the item and love it. The post links you to a website where you can make your purchase. Everything looks normal and the price is reasonable, so you place an order. Your credit card is charged, but as the days turn into weeks, you start wondering if you’ll ever receive the calendar. 

In most cases, your calendar never arrives because it never existed. One consumer told BBB Scam Tracker: “I saw an ad on Facebook for a Healing Crystal Advent Calendar. I read the reviews below the ad

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Better Business Bureau warns of holiday shopping scams

GREENVILLE, N.C. (WITN) – While you’re spending money shopping on Black Friday, scammers are looking to make a profit.

“The Holidays are such a joyous time of year but they can turn sour really quickly if a scammer is able to find their way into your lives,” said Mallory Wojciechowski, president and CEO of BBB of Eastern NC. “Having a plan ahead of time and knowing how scammers operate is the best way to avoid losing money.”

The Better Business Bureau is offering the following tips to protect you and your wallets before heading to the stores or shopping online this holiday season:

  • Start early. Numbers indicate that online shopping is up, so starting your shopping early can help avoid running into out-of-stock or overpriced items.
  • Research the business ahead of time. Check their business profile on bbb.org, ask for references from friends/family, and look for reviews and/or complaints.
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Far better Organization Bureau warns of Medicare, ACA scams for the duration of open up enrollment period

BOSTON — The coronavirus pandemic left quite a few Us citizens unemployed — and uninsured. To give folks a possibility to signal up for well being care coverage, the federal governing administration has opened Medicare.gov from October 15, 2021–December 7, 2021. Health care.gov is open from November 1, 2021–January 15, 2021. Sadly, scammers usually see open enrollments as a possibility to trick people out of cash and personalized information and facts. The Massachusetts Far better Business Bureau explains how the fraud will work and how not to get tricked.

How the scam works 

When the government has an open up enrollment interval, people understandably have concerns and problems. Scammers just take edge of this option to confuse and mislead victims.

BBB.org/ScamTracker will get a lot of experiences about scammers professing to be a authorities consultant who can enable you navigate your Medicare or Inexpensive Care Act (ACA) choices. Scammers claim

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