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The holiday shopping season will start before you know it. This time of year brings plenty of opportunities to find gifts and take advantage of seasonal deals. Unfortunately, it also gives scammers opportunities to reach shoppers who are eager to complete their shopping lists.

Fake online stores, misleading social media ads, and phishing messages can look surprisingly similar to legitimate offers. That’s why it’s important to look out for scam attempts before making a purchase. Here’s what you can do to protect your financial information.

What Do Holiday Shopping Scams Look Like?

Holiday shopping scams often imitate the online shopping experience you already know. This familiarity is meant to mislead shoppers.

For instance, you might see an advertisement for a popular product on social media, receive a message about a limited-time sale, or find an unfamiliar retailer while searching for a gift.

Some fraudulent websites are designed to resemble established retailers. Others may advertise products that don't exist or use unusually low prices to encourage shoppers to buy before taking a closer look.

Holiday shopping scams have different goals. They may include:

• Collecting payment without delivering the advertised product
• Stealing credit card information or other payment information
• Taking login credentials and stealing the account

Fortunately, you can spot warning signs before making a purchase. Watching for these signs can help keep your finances secure.

Look Beyond the Holiday Deal

A major discount isn't automatically suspicious. Holiday sales are common, and retailers frequently advertise their deals to attract business.

However, an offer that is priced significantly lower than what you see elsewhere deserves a little more caution. Be careful when an advertisement uses phrases such as "today only" or claims that only a few items remain to pressure you into buying immediately.

This “fear of missing out” is an emotional trigger intended to get someone to act quickly. It’s the telltale sign of a scam in the making.

Before purchasing, compare the price with other retailers. If the difference seems unusually large, take a few extra minutes to research the seller.

You can also look up a suspicious seller’s reputation. Online review platforms let buyers leave feedback on sellers and businesses. Locate user reviews to verify a seller’s legitimacy.

Check the Website Before You Check Out

Scammers can create websites that closely resemble familiar stores, sometimes using logos, product photos, and layouts copied from longstanding businesses.

For an unfamiliar business, search for its name independently and look for information outside of its own website. Reviews and search results may help you determine whether other shoppers have reported problems.

Check the website address carefully. Misspelled URLs, added words, or unusual domain names can indicate that you aren't visiting the retailer you expected.

Also, verify that the business’s website starts with “https” when looking up its URL. This shows the connection is encrypted, which helps protect data (like payment information) that’s submitted to the site.

Finally, review the site's return, refund, shipping, and contact information. Missing or vague policies can be a reason to reconsider the purchase.

Be Careful With Social Media Shopping Ads

Social media can make discovering gifts and new retailers easy, but an ad that appears in your feed doesn't guarantee the seller is legitimate.

Instead of buying immediately through an unfamiliar ad, research the company first. Look up the retailer separately rather than relying only on the link in the ad.

Be cautious if the seller has little history outside social media, offers unusually steep discounts, or provides limited ways to contact the business.

Remember: anyone can buy an ad on social media. Research a suspicious seller before deciding to buy anything from them.

Watch for Fake Order and Delivery Messages

Shopping scams aren’t necessarily limited to the buying experience. Scams can also exploit the busy nature of shipping and delivery notifications.

During the holidays, you may receive multiple order confirmations and delivery notifications. Scammers can take advantage of this by sending emails or text messages claiming there is a problem with an order, payment, or package.

Avoid clicking unexpected links asking you to update payment or delivery information. Instead, go directly to the retailer or delivery company's website or app and check the order yourself.

Fake delivery messages can appear through many channels, including:

• Emails
• Text messages
• Phone calls

Links in messages, especially ones you aren’t expecting, may lead to spoofed sites waiting to collect your account or payment information.

Choose Payment Methods With Consumer Protections

How you pay can matter if something goes wrong.

Credit cards generally provide protection that may allow you to dispute fraudulent charges or purchases that never arrive. Be cautious if an online seller insists that you pay using gift cards, cryptocurrency, wire transfers, or another difficult-to-reverse payment method.

Before entering payment information, make sure you are confident that you are dealing with the intended retailer.

What Should You Do if You Think You Found a Shopping Scam?

If a deal looks too good to be true, it probably is. Don’t feel pressured to complete the purchase. Close the page and research the offer independently.

If you already provided payment information to a suspicious seller, review your account activity and contact your financial institution or card issuer promptly if you notice an unauthorized transaction. You may also want to change compromised passwords, especially if you've used the same credentials on other accounts.

Keep receipts, confirmation emails, and other purchase records in case you need to dispute a transaction. If you paid with a credit or debit card, freeze any further activity and contact the provider to secure your financial information.

Take a Closer Look Before You Buy

Holiday shopping can already come with plenty of decisions. Giving yourself a little more time before clicking "buy" can help you verify a seller and trust their business.

Check the retailer, review the website, and be cautious of offers that pressure you to act immediately. A few extra moments of research can help you shop more safely and enjoy the season.

First Florida empowers you with the knowledge you need to shop confidently and avoid identity theft. Visit our Scam and Fraud Education page to learn about the latest updates.