Shoppers in Texas warned of online scams as this weekend’s shopping weekend approaches

The Christmas shopping season officially kicks off this weekend with a range of deals from Black Friday to Cyber ​​Monday… but is the deal too good to be true?

A lot of money is flowing across Texas, and where there’s money, Jason Meza of the Better Business Bureau says, there’s always the risk of someone else trying to steal it.

“Especially this time of year, don’t let your guard down,” Meza said. “You can be shopping at the mall and you get the text or you get a notification and you just don’t think twice.”

The BBB says losses in the state due to fraud will increase by nearly $1 million between 2022 and 2023. And nationwide this year alone, reports of online shopping fraud to the Federal Trade Commission have totaled more than $300 million.

“Social media has now become the next frontier when it comes to fraud and fraud,” said Meza. “The problem is that it’s hard to investigate, it’s hard to confirm who is legitimate and what kind of dealer or seller there is.”

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Kathy Stokes with the AARP says 82% of Americans have experienced some type of scam in the past year, even if it didn’t work out. She says another common threat during the holidays is gift card fraud.

“They have to be careful that criminals are really good at tampering with these cards, whether they’re electronic or from the store,” Stokes said. “We found that 30% of us have either given or received a gift card with no value on it, up from 21%.”

Also, peer-to-peer banking services like Venmo or CashApp should only be used with trusted friends or family.

“They simply don’t have protections, consumer protections,” Stokes said. “So really what you want to do when you buy an item is use a credit card. That’s your safest bet.”

And during the season of giving, Meza says to watch out for fake charities, too.

“Take the time to research who the charity is and who their mission is, their board of directors, and just do a little bit more digging,” Meza said. “The charity will accept your money tomorrow as much as today.” ((6:05))

In all of these cases, Meza says the best way to protect yourself is to think before you swipe.

“We always tell people to be vigilant, if they see a scam pop up or if something just doesn’t feel right, to be suspicious,” Meza said. “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”