Avoid these 3 dangerous online shopping scams
Avoid these 3 dangerous online shopping scams | One Page | Komando.com
Avoid these 3 dangerous online shopping scams
By Komando Staff, Komando.com
Last year, PwC did a survey of 19,000 consumers and found that while online shopping is popular, it hasn't replaced brick-and-mortar retailers just yet. In a given week, 40 percent of consumers will shop and buy in a retail store versus just 27 percent online. Click here for seven awesome tips and tricks to streamline your online shopping.
While everyone agrees online shopping is convenient, many consumers don't want shipping fees, want to pick up the item immediately or see it in person before buying, or like to support local businesses. However, one of the biggest factors was security.
While plenty of people are worried about a retailer losing their credit card information in a data breach, there have been very few data breaches of major online retailers. A bigger worry is hackers using retail tools to trick you. We're not just talking about fake product reviews that persuade you to buy low-quality products.
Real scammers are out there trying to trick you into giving up your credit card numbers and personal information. They've got some seriously good tricks and don't give up easily. Before you fire up your browser for an online shopping spree, here are three big scams you'll run into. Don't spend another dime online before you read this!
1. Too-good-to-be-true coupons
The web is filled with great coupon sites that can shave hundreds off your shopping bill each year. Click here for the best coupon sites to save you money.
However, you need to watch out for coupon deals that seem too good to be true. A common online scam involves websites that lure you in with coupons for popular items like a new iPad or the hot toy of the season.
These fake coupon sites will ask for lots of personal information, including your credit card information and address. If scammers get these details, they can easily start racking up charges in your name.
Don't fall for this scam. Look for red flags, including misspellings and multiple pop-up windows, that are dead giveaways for a scam site. Stick to big-name online retailers and use safe payment systems like PayPal, Amazon Payments, Apple Pay or Android Pay.
2. Malicious links
Many legitimate companies deliver great deals straight to your inbox. For example, if you're signed up for our Insider newsletter, you get coupon codes you can use in the Komando Shop to save money on essential tech gear.
Online scammers, however, will target you with fake emails that ask you to click on a link or open an attachment. They might offer what seems like an amazing deal, or maybe even include a tracking link for a package you didn't order.
Click here to see an example of a fake email from Amazon. Then take a test to see if you can spot other types of phishing scams.
As a rule, don't click on any email links or open any attachments that seem suspicious. Instead, check with the person who sent the email, or just delete the messages right away.
3. Gift card scams
Everybody loves gift cards - including online scammers who want to steal your information and money. You might get an email or text with an offer for a deeply discounted gift card. It might say you can get a $25 gift card for $10, for example. Or it might say you won a $100 gift card!
If the email asks for banking or credit card information, delete it right away. A legitimate company won't ask for that information.
Some stores do have real gift card giveaways, though. So, how can you tell if your gift card prize is the real thing? Click here to learn the four sure signs of a gift card scam.
Some stores do offer gift cards delivered by email. So, for example, someone can order you an Amazon gift card and have it appear in your inbox instead of your mailbox.
First, contact the person to make sure they actually sent it (it's a good opportunity to thank them as well). Also, a real gift card will have a code you can put in during checkout from the site to claim the money. It won't ask you to supply any identity information, download an attachment or take you to a third-party site.
Avoid these 3 dangerous online shopping scams | One Page | Komando.com
Avoid these 3 dangerous online shopping scams
By Komando Staff, Komando.com
Last year, PwC did a survey of 19,000 consumers and found that while online shopping is popular, it hasn't replaced brick-and-mortar retailers just yet. In a given week, 40 percent of consumers will shop and buy in a retail store versus just 27 percent online. Click here for seven awesome tips and tricks to streamline your online shopping.
While everyone agrees online shopping is convenient, many consumers don't want shipping fees, want to pick up the item immediately or see it in person before buying, or like to support local businesses. However, one of the biggest factors was security.
While plenty of people are worried about a retailer losing their credit card information in a data breach, there have been very few data breaches of major online retailers. A bigger worry is hackers using retail tools to trick you. We're not just talking about fake product reviews that persuade you to buy low-quality products.
Real scammers are out there trying to trick you into giving up your credit card numbers and personal information. They've got some seriously good tricks and don't give up easily. Before you fire up your browser for an online shopping spree, here are three big scams you'll run into. Don't spend another dime online before you read this!
1. Too-good-to-be-true coupons
The web is filled with great coupon sites that can shave hundreds off your shopping bill each year. Click here for the best coupon sites to save you money.
However, you need to watch out for coupon deals that seem too good to be true. A common online scam involves websites that lure you in with coupons for popular items like a new iPad or the hot toy of the season.
These fake coupon sites will ask for lots of personal information, including your credit card information and address. If scammers get these details, they can easily start racking up charges in your name.
Don't fall for this scam. Look for red flags, including misspellings and multiple pop-up windows, that are dead giveaways for a scam site. Stick to big-name online retailers and use safe payment systems like PayPal, Amazon Payments, Apple Pay or Android Pay.
2. Malicious links
Many legitimate companies deliver great deals straight to your inbox. For example, if you're signed up for our Insider newsletter, you get coupon codes you can use in the Komando Shop to save money on essential tech gear.
Online scammers, however, will target you with fake emails that ask you to click on a link or open an attachment. They might offer what seems like an amazing deal, or maybe even include a tracking link for a package you didn't order.
Click here to see an example of a fake email from Amazon. Then take a test to see if you can spot other types of phishing scams.
As a rule, don't click on any email links or open any attachments that seem suspicious. Instead, check with the person who sent the email, or just delete the messages right away.
3. Gift card scams
Everybody loves gift cards - including online scammers who want to steal your information and money. You might get an email or text with an offer for a deeply discounted gift card. It might say you can get a $25 gift card for $10, for example. Or it might say you won a $100 gift card!
If the email asks for banking or credit card information, delete it right away. A legitimate company won't ask for that information.
Some stores do have real gift card giveaways, though. So, how can you tell if your gift card prize is the real thing? Click here to learn the four sure signs of a gift card scam.
Some stores do offer gift cards delivered by email. So, for example, someone can order you an Amazon gift card and have it appear in your inbox instead of your mailbox.
First, contact the person to make sure they actually sent it (it's a good opportunity to thank them as well). Also, a real gift card will have a code you can put in during checkout from the site to claim the money. It won't ask you to supply any identity information, download an attachment or take you to a third-party site.