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Watch out for shopping scams. That word of warning from the Better Business Bureau of Southeast Florida.
Spokesperson Cinthya Lavin says crooks take advantage of a larger population of would-be victims.
"The holiday season brings all the consumers out. Even consumers who don't regularly shop are finding themselves shopping during the holiday season."
She adds that the supply chain issues are bringing more people to the Internet for holiday gifts.
"Some of the things that people could have found easily at stores, they're not able to do so now. So they're turning to different searches online to be able to find the item that they want."
And Lavin says crooks know this and they're lurking with fake websites and ads on social media. They may ask you to purchase using a peer-to-peer app such as Venmo or Cashapp, because it's difficult to recover your money once it's sent.
Lavin says you should only pay with a credit card.
The BBB has launched its “Shop Safe Shop Smart” campaign to highlight tips to avoid getting scammed.
Among them, beware of fake websites by looking closely at the URL.
"If the connection says 'http' and not 'https' you know it's not a secure connection, so you have to be careful."
Lavin says that "s" stands for "secure." If it is not there, never enter payment or personal information.
Also, watch for bad grammar and search for contact information. If there is no physical address for the business, Lavin says you can't trust them.
Another tip is to look for the BBB seal. BBB Accredited Businesses pledge to uphold the BBB Standards for Trust and to deal fairly with consumers. If a business displays a BBB seal, verify it by going to BBB.org.
Coming up on Thursday, the second part of this story: avoiding charity scams that often target the elderly this time of the year.