LAKE CHARLES, La. (KPLC) – It’s the season of giving, but be sure to double-check who you are giving to.

48% of U.S. consumers report being targeted by a scam while holiday shopping online, according to the 2024 Norton Cyber Safety Insights Report.

“There are so many people that are hopping online these days, so you have to be very careful at where you are shopping. Make sure you are not going to a spoofed website. You need to check return policies and various things before you make that purchase,” Angela Guth of the Better Business Bureau of Southwest Louisiana said.

One tip is to check the URL of the website you are purchasing from, make sure it starts with “https://” and check for the little padlock symbol on the search bar to make sure the website is secure.

One of the more common scams for the 2024 season is advertising on social media offering the latest hot ticket item at a cheaper price.

“You are trying to find the gift and all of sudden, you’re scrolling through your social media and you see an ad for that gift. That’s great, but don’t necessarily click on that ad. Maybe go straight to Google and pull up that website and make sure you are actually on that correct website,” Guth said.

Other scams to look out for this season include random texts from people pretending to be mail carriers, tampered gift cards, and fake charities.

“It’s truly unfortunate in 2024 that people are taking advantage of the generosity of communities on a day that is supposed to promote generosity,” Micah Nicholas of the American Red Cross said

Always research before you give to any organization, and make sure you are giving to the legitimate person and legitimate site.

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