11/21/24 - Holiday Scams on the Rise - Again

We have more reasons to be wary this holiday season as more scam artists want to separate us from our hard earned dollars.

If it seems to good to be true, it probably is. That’s the advice from the Better Business Bureau as holiday shopping approaches. A new study finds scamming attempts rose over 125% last year, driven largely by social media scams over beauty products and Stanley mugs. 80% of victims reported losing money due to theses scams.

Other scams have affected local residents in big ways.

A Paw Paw woman thought she ordered a one-time purchase of weight loss gummies online for $60. She continues to be charged $240 a month and cannot get a hold of anyone at the company to stop it.  

A woman from Wayland tried to buy a puppy from someone online in April. The seller requested $200 in Apple gift cards. After the woman shared the gift card numbers, she was sent a photo of the puppy along with photos of paperwork claiming the dog was up to date on shots, as well as registered with the American Kennel Club. The seller claimed they would be shipping the dog, but suddenly extra fees totaling $450 started to be added on. When the woman called the number on the gift cards to cancel the cards, the money was already gone.  

“Be wary of any price that seems too good to be true, especially for name-brand items,” says Lisa Frohnapfel, President & CEO of the Better Business Bureau in Western Michigan. “Only shop from sites you know and trust, or do your research on sites like BBB.org before you give anyone your money or payment information.”

So the BBB recommends you do more research before you buy, use secure and traceable transactions and payment methods, and read the fine print. For more information, visit the Better Business Bureau website HERE.