Scammers target back to school shoppers; ABC11 Troubleshooter tips for ways to protect your money

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — Students are heading back to school, and it’s estimated families will spend close to $900 in back-to-school shopping.

With all this spending, scammers are looking to take advantage of consumers. Online shopping is one of the biggest ways scammers can catch consumers off guard, and it is important to know the red flags.

When buying new school outfits, backpacks, and technology online, watch out for copycat websites that offer products for well below the typical cost. Meredith Radford, with the Better Business Bureau of Eastern Carolinas, says, “If you’re on a third-party website or you see something on an Instagram ad other social media ad, use extreme caution.”

To make sure you are on a secure website, make sure it has “https” in the URL and the “lock” symbol at the right of the search bar.

The BBB also suggests researching multiple sites for customer reviews instead of relying on one specific site. It is also important to be on guard for clickbait links claiming to offer a deep discount. Scammers want consumers to click the link to get access to personal information or put malware on the device.

High school and college students are also a target of back-to-school scams. Watch out for fake scholarship applications that ask for payment up front and also ask for personal information such as a social security number.

Scammers continue to target students with student loan debt. They will send emails and automated voice messages that claim student loans are eligible to be paid off. Do not respond to these unsolicited messages, instead directly check with studentaid.gov or your personal loan servicer.

Employment scams also target college and high school students. Ariana Duval, a student at NC A&T University was scammed out of $2,400 after she accepted a job for what she thought was a research opportunity at her college. It started when Duval received a check to cash for office supplies from her supposed employer. The check had the logo of her university and appeared to be legitimate. Her bank cashed the check and as instructed, Duval sent the money through a banking app so she could receive her office supplies and begin working. The bank eventually told her the check was bad, and Duval lost her money to scammers who were impersonating a professor at her university. This was all to get quick cash from her.

The big red flags of employment scams are when individuals are told to pay money or buy gift cards as part of their job. It can also be when the pay is too good to be true. Another helpful tip when back-to-school shopping is to always use a credit card. It offers the most protection if you need to dispute a charge or have a problem with a purchase.

Watch more stories in the ABC11 Back To School section