Avoiding holiday scams: Michigan AG warns of fake sites, texts as shopping season begins

LANSING, Mich. — While the holiday season often means joy and giving – it also means the return of holiday scams.

There are all sorts of shopping-related scams, including fake look-alike websites and fake USPS texts about packages.

News Channel 3 sat down with Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel Tuesday to talk about those scams and how to avoid them.

Her top tips: do your research and keep a level head.

“Make sure that it is a legitimate company that you are dealing with, you know, try to use companies that you have shopped at already and you’ve had a good experience with,” Nessel said. “If you see a company and you’re like ‘I’ve never even heard of this before but this is a great price,’ make sure you do your homework, start to look for reviews.”

Nessel also reminds everyone to never click on links from a company you don’t know, or you feel seems suspicious.

“Look, you see an item that you want, and you’re told, ‘hey, we only have so much of this in stock or this sale is only going to last for the next hour,’ don’t be pressured into making a purchase, they want to do that so that you’re not taking the time to shop around,” Nessel said.

She continued, “You’re not taking the time to see if there is a really good deal, you’re not verifying the legitimacy of the company that you’re making the purchase from so don’t be pressured into making a purchase ever because, unfortunately, you will probably end up regretting it.”

Michiganders who need to file a complaint related to shopping scams can do so through the State of Michigan’s Consumer Protection website.