BBB regional director: ‘Slow down, be careful,’ in final days of Christmas shopping

QUINCY (WGEM) – With Christmas less than a week away, some holiday shoppers may be in panic mode with an unfinished gift list. The regional director of the Quincy Better Business Bureau (BBB) warned against rushing purchases. He said that could result in falling for online shopping scams.

Many of those scams start at the search engine.

“You are going to search for things online. And in those searches, all of a sudden magically your social media is going to know what you’re going to be searching for,” BBB Regional Director Don O’Brien said. “You may see ads for those products on social media, and you may be driven into a direction that you might not have been anticipating.”

O’Brien said with Christmas so close, shoppers may not be thinking as clearly as usual. That could make them more susceptible to scams.

Online scams led the Better Business Bureau’s Scam Tracker in 2024, according to O’Brien. Around the holidays, certain scams may advertise free or fast shipping on sketchy websites. O’Brien recommended staying on the beaten path when shopping online.

A website he said that is generally reliable is Amazon, particularly for its transparency with reviews. The site shows if reviews are paid for by the seller. He said it is worth reconsidering a product if paid reviews are positive, with less favorable non-paid reviews.

O’Brien also advised visiting the Better Business Bureau’s website to see which sites and businesses are most reliable. Reviews on that website are verified before being posted. The BBB also gives businesses up to 72 hours to respond to a review prior to posting.

There is always the option of not shopping online, too.

“If you can go to a brick-and-mortar store; if you can actually get your hands on that, that’s good. If you can go find it local, that’s great because – at least you know you’re going to have that product and you put your hands on it,” O’Brien said.

He added credit cards are the best way to pay for items if you do choose to shop online, since you can do chargebacks if needed.

O’Brien warned against electronic payments through apps like Venmo and Zelle. He said that is essentially like handing over cash. Once you have given the money over, you cannot get it back.

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