PlayStations and puppies top the list of 2020 holiday scams. Here’s what to watch out for

Monster growth in online sales this holiday season will trigger an explosion of duplicitous deals, fake websites, phony emails and outright shopping scams. More than ever, online buyers better beware.

Already consumer watchdogs are hearing from people who spotted an ad on social media for what looks like a great gift but doesn’t measure up to expectations.

Amy Nofziger, director of victim support for the AARP Fraud Watch Network, said one consumer complained in the fall about spotting a collectible doll on Facebook that was reportedly advertised as 23 inches tall.

“And when he got it, it was a 7-inch piece of junk,” Nofziger said.

The pandemic is likely to change the way people shop this holiday season and the shift could give cyber crooks an edge. About 76% of consumers plan on conducting more than half of their holiday shopping online this year. That’s up from 57% last year, according to the TransUnion survey.

Naturally, many people are worried about being victimized by fraud. Here’s what to watch out for this 2020 shopping season:

A great deal on a PlayStation

We’re seeing an uptick in suspicious offers and websites promising deals on the latest PlayStation 5, which retails for about $500. Some scams even involve supposed bargains on the older PS4. Last month, a consumer spotted a deal on OfferUp, an online marketplace, for a PS4 for $115 plus $45 for shipping. The consumer paid the separate transactions via CashApp, AARP’s Nofziger said, but the gaming systems never arrived and the potential buyer no longer was able to get a hold of the seller.

Her tip: Never pay with a prepaid gift card, CashApp or Venmo or wire someone money when you’re trying to buy a gift online. Use your credit card, not a debit card, for better consumer protections.

She notes that companies like CashApp and Venmo are peer-to-peer payment systems, meaning you’re able to transfer money from friend to friend, family member to family member, not stranger to stranger.

The cute pet scams

Puppy scams bounced up in popularity during the pandemic, as people stayed home and wanted company. Going into the holiday season, scammers are once again going to the dogs — or cats. Recently, a consumer complained that she sent $6,000 via CashApp for two incredibly cute kittens, which never showed up, Nofziger said. On top of it, the consumer lost another $250 for shipping. Scammers are using COVID-19 as an excuse to charge more for shipping, she said, claiming airlines have higher fees to deal with transporting animals during the pandemic.

The impostor websites

The online website can look like the real deal, but cyber criminals are engineering “identical and perfect brand forgery sites,” according to Dave Baggett, CEO of INKY, an antiphishing vendor based in Maryland.

Going to such bad sites means you could end up with malicious software downloaded onto your computer.

Take time to look for odd clues that can suggest a phony site. Having an “https://” in the URL isn’t a guarantee of a legitimate site. Consumers need to be suspicious of unusually long domain names.

Some scams start off on Facebook by offering a special coupon, bonus bucks or gift card for a popular retailer. Consumers should treat too-good-to-be-true prizes or deals as a huge red flag.

The phishing email

Scammers are sending out some pretty official looking emails that claim to be an order confirmation from Amazon but sometimes it’s for an item that you didn’t buy. Amazon suggests that you first go to your orders to check out what you’ve bought and “see if there is an order that matches the details in the correspondence.” You want to be wary of something that looks like it could be sent to a wide group of people, such as an email that begins with “Hello Amazon Customer.”

“We observed a significant increase in phishing emails and look-alike domains for Amazon, Best Buy, Costco, Ebay, PayPal and Walmart,” Baggett said in a statement.

The fine print

Holiday shoppers can be thrown for a loop by tricky return policies that can be buried in the fine print. Will you be able to receive a full refund for gifts bought online? Or will you be hit by high-priced restocking fees if you need to send something back? Some items cannot be returned, so it’s important that you read the fine print before you buy, according to a Better Business Bureau alert.

How do you protect yourself?

Do not use the same password over and over again — you want to create unique passwords for credit card accounts, PayPal accounts and other financial connections, according to Bill Hardekopf, CEO of LowCards.com.

Report any fraudulent or questionable charges as soon as you notice them. It’s also a good idea to set up email or text alerts with your credit card company. If scammers are using your card, Hardekopf said, you’d be alerted quickly to odd purchases that you can report to your issuer.

The BBB notes: Install the latest updates and run virus scans regularly on your computer, tablet and smartphone.

Customer service scams

Do not simply search the Internet to find a phone number for customer service. Scammers are able to post fake customer-support phone numbers online, and consumers have been duped.

The Better Business Bureau warned last year that you should never use your home’s smart device — such as Alexa, Siri or Google Home — to find a customer support number for any company. “Scammers create fake customer service numbers and bump them to the top of search results, often by paying for ads,” the BBB warned.

Don’t do an online search either. Take extra time to go directly to the company’s website.

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