By Elliott Greenblott
AARP
American shopping habits changed over the past three years; many traded the experience of shopping bricks-N-mortar stores for on-line shopping. Convenience, ease of comparison product and price shopping, and easy access to products on the market continues to attract virtual shoppers;
How do you know if a product is worth the money or worse, put you at risk for being scammed? Many on-line vendors make answering that question easy. Popular sites such as Amazon and Walmart provide product reviews; but are they reliable? According a CBS News report a few years ago, more than one-half of reviews posted on Walmart’s website were “inauthentic or unreliable.” The track record for Amazon had 30% falling in that category. Is discount shopping inherently risky?
As with much of what we see with unfamiliar websites, there is clearly a possibility for shoppers to become losers. Between knock-off or counterfeit products, price gouging, and misinformation, shoppers need to exercise caution when shopping on-line , particularly from unrecognized e-stores, third party vendors on sites such as Walmart, Facebook, and Amazon marketplaces, E-Bay, or social media platforms.
Most on-line retailers are legitimate but there is still a possibility of fake products, stolen credit card numbers, data phishing, and even death or injury resulting from unsafe products. Here are some tips:
• Product Reviews: Be cautious when considering product reviews. Amazon currently has a policy requiring that the reviewer actually purchased the product. If an unknown vendor notes thousands of reviews it likely is unreliable. Beware of vague reviews. They should identify product details. Consider using www.fakespot.com to identify scams and fake reviews.
• Price Gouging: Watch out for price gouging on web sites you do not recognize. When availability of in-demand products decreases, prices on less reputable web sites rise.
• Long Wait Time: An unusually long wait time for delivery can be a red flag. While supply chain issues are still a problem, legitimate suppliers generally are not currently impacted to the extent that questionable sellers experience.
• Deep Discounts: Conduct some research before purchasing a “deep discount” item. In particular, check to see if the item being considered has been discontinued or recalled by the manufacturer. Buying last year’s model may be fine but it won’t have the same features as many current models.
Finally, consider paying more for a product by shopping recognizable, reputable vendors and products. You may pay more but company reputation and product reliability can be worth the price if there is a problem.
Current Alerts
• Criminals are turning to the use of text messages to perpetrate fraud. One of the latest efforts involves notification from the United States Postal Service that a package is being held as undeliverable. The text includes a phone number or a website link and the potential victim is told to pay a delivery fee for delivery. This is a scam. The USPS does not contact residents in this way. Ignore the message and delete it.
• Medicare, Medicaid, and Tri-Care Veterans benefit access is free. Criminals are contacting persons eligible for these benefits and charging a fee for assistance in applying for them. Disregard this and immediately notify Medicare, Medicaid, or the Veterans Administration of the scam.
• Fraudulent free accommodations opportunities have increased in number over the last month, coinciding with vacation time for many families. Criminals use a variety of messages and most follow this pattern; the intended victim is offered a free vacation package with no purchase necessary. Typically, the offer is a multi-day stay at a resort location. The caller notes that the offer was originally prepared prior to the Covid-19 crisis and that the company is working hard to provide the recipients with the opportunity before it expires. The company making the offer is one with which there is no familiarity and the details about the company are left vague. The bottom line: there is a request for credit card information to guarantee the reservation. Pure and simple, this is a phishing scam. Hang up the phone!
— Elliott Greenblott is a retired educator and coordinator of the AARP Vermont Fraud Watch Network. He hosts a CATV program, Mr. Scammer, distributed by GNAT-TV in Sunderland, VT – www.gnat-tv.org
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