Digital consumers have long had to worry about fraud, but lately, scammers have taken it to a new level. Thieves are targeting consumers online, including through social media, and are scammers are tricking consumers into sharing personal details, downloading malware, putting themselves at risk, and paying for fake products, services, and gift cards.
Internet scams managed to skyrocket during the pandemic. Online shoppers had more time on their hands, and they had more money to spend. But on top of that, during the pandemic, scammers and thieves also had even more time on their hands, and they’ll be motivated to take advantage of shoppers’ fears.
Better Business Bureau calls for further care in internet purchasing. Melanie McGovern, from the Better Business Bureau, revealed, as the newest results from the BBB also show, that it is almost impossible to get money back after being scammed, and that purchases represent 1 in 3 online scams.
“It used to be employment scams, but because everybody started shopping online during the pandemic, a lot of retailers were closed, we just saw such a spike in it. It still is pervasive as it was during the pandemic. People are not doing the research, they are falling in love with a dog they see online and giving money. We just had somebody in the Albany area last month lose $800 in a pet scam,” explains Melanie McGovern.
For many years, online criminals have used phishing, spam, viruses, and other tactics to scam people. However, the tools and techniques available to online criminals have dramatically changed in recent years, focusing more and more on online shopping.
Online shoppers are prime targets for scammers. There are countless websites, e-mails and online ads that try to trick people into giving away their credit card information or other personal information. It is important the shoppers check the history of a website they purchase something from.
