Shopping online has become very common and it seems no matter what website or social media pages we visit, there is no shortage of ads and shopping opportunities just a click away.
I still like to shop locally when I can, but I admit I do my fair share of online shopping for a variety of things, and usually things I don’t need, but that’s another story.
While we like to think we can spot a scam when shopping online, scammers are getting better by the day at fooling even the most knowledgeable consumers and ripping them off.
That’s why it’s important to be aware of the new or improved ways scammers are trying to take your money or your personal information to use against you. One such scam is out there now and there has been an increase in the number of people reporting that they’ve fallen victim.
According to the Better Business Bureau, this credit card scam can hit you when shopping online at a retail website that seems reputable. You could also receive an email from what you think is a reputable business for a discounted or free offer and decide to take advantage.
You enter your personal information, including your credit card number, email address, phone number, and shipping address to make a purchase, but once you do that, the website tells you that your card was declined or you receive an error message, “Your card did not go through for some reason.”
You may then try another card for payment, thinking there’s an issue with that card that you’ll resolve with them later, but you receive the same error message with your other card.
When you call your bank or credit card company to ask about the declines, they tell you that your cards have not been declined. In fact, you’ve been charged more than you anticipated for the purchase.
That’s when you realize that either the website you were shopping on was a scam or the email you were sent from the business was fraudulent and now you’ve been ripped off and you’ve personal and financial information to a scammer. Ug!
The Better Business Bureau says they’ve received numerous reports of this type of scam on the BB Scam Tracker.
Several consumers have reported similar experiences to BBB Scam Tracker. Thankfully, most credit card companies protect you from fraud, but that doesn’t change the fact that a lot of personal information is now in the hands of scammers.
The BBB has provided the following tips to help prevent this from happening to you:
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