Better Business Bureau warns of rise in online shopping scams ahead of Cyber Monday

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — As Black Friday comes to an end, many people are turning to their cell phones and computers to take advantage of Cyber Monday deals.

But the Better Business Bureau says consumers should be warry of a trend of online shopping scams this year.

Online shopping scams made up 41% of all scams reported to the Better Business Bureau scam tracker in 2023.

Michele Mason, President & CEO BBB, says…

“Total sales this year are expected to be just under $1.6 trillion, and a big chunk of that will happen on Cyber Monday.”

Cyber Monday is not a public holiday like Thanksgiving or Christmas. It’s a day full of online savings.

This year, the National Retail Federation reported that about 72 million people plan to participate in Cyber Monday shopping.

But one thing to be weary of is scammers.

Mason warns that scammers take advantage of consumers during this peak shopping season.

“That means that you want to make sure that your antivirus software is up to date, you want to check the URL before you go to a website and make sure it is for the correct retailer,” Mason says.

According to the Federal Trade Commission, consumers reported losing more than $10 billion to fraud and scams in 2023.

The Better Business Bureau also warns of scam text messages from people impersonating a delivery service.

“We’ve been seeing them in the last month truly spike,” Mason says. “We want to make sure people don’t click on links in emails or text messages from someone you’re not expecting to hear from, even if it’s delivery company. You should go to their site at the site that you know is valid for them, and you can check for any account information there.”

The fear of being scammed even keeps some shoppers, like Camden Fugate, from online shopping.

“A lot of times I get on those less trusted sites and get a little nervous about the scams. So that’s why I try and come out on Black Friday, to avoid the having to get online to shop.”

Sage Owings accidentally clicked on the fake link before. He says…

“The fake USPS message was sent to me, and they said I needed to enter my credit card information to get it delivered. And I did it one time, and immediately I saw that my phone and my card got added to a Samsung Pay. So yeah, I immediately called and canceled the card for sure.”

Mason says monitoring your bank account when making online purchases is crucial to keeping your information safe…

“Make sure that you report immediately any purchases that you see on a credit card or debit card that don’t belong to you, and make sure that you’re working with a retailer and your bank as quickly as possible,” Mason says.

if you do fall victim to a scam, you can report it to the Better Business Bureau’s scam tracker site, which will help others be aware of what’s happening so you don’t fall victim.