MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Shoppers and scammers will dominate the retail landscape of the worldwide web for the next few days, taking advantage of initial offers retailers hope will encourage consumers to open their wallets. Statistics from the National Retail Federation say Cyber has topped Black Friday in sales since 2019, with 2020 being the top Cyber Monday sales day with more than $10 billion in online sales.
On WAJR’s “Talk of the Town,” Marketing Director for the Better Business Bureau serving the Canton Region and greater West Virginia, Laura Blankenship, said that the volume of transactions provides scammers with many opportunities to steal your money or identity. She said social media platforms increasingly display “deals” that are too good to be true, and they are in fact portals to a scam.
“One of the largest scams we see this year are fake websites, but also something that’s getting more popular are fake social media adds,” Blankenship said.
She also said scammers have not given up on phishing emails where the receiver clicks on a link that provides scammers access to personal information on a device. Never clock on a link in an email from an unknown sender, and don’t click on social media links to third-party vendors.
“If you have your bank account on there, if you have your passwords, credit card information, and things like that, they can get all that,” Blankenship said. “That’s why it’s so important to have two-factor authentication.”
She said to verify the deal by taking the time to search independently. Go to the manufacturer or retailer website and look for the same offer there to verify it.
“Also, by searching it yourself, you can see if other people have fallen for that scam and if people have purchased and never received it as well,” Blankenship said.
Many that got to brick and mortar stores should be alert to the possibility of electronic ID theft. Blankenship said with some current technology, thieves can access what’s in their wallet in seconds without your knowledge.
“A lot of wallets and a lot of purses have RFID sleeves within them, and that’s great,” Blankenship said. “We recommend getting RFID sleeves, and we give them out at the Better Business Bureau.”
When making purchases online or in person, Blankenship said be sure to understand the terms. Return policies can vary, and some items have strict guidelines that are important to take into consideration before making a large purchase.
*There are a lot of retailers out there that have a lot of deals going on today and over the next five days, so make sure you know what the deals are- do your research,” Blankenship said.