Today is Cyber Monday and many retailers will be rolling out discounts, but you need to be careful doing your shopping online. Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection spokesperson Jerad Albrecht says Cyber Monday shopping is generally safe so long as you’re sticking to respected and big name retailers. “Honestly, if you’re sticking with a company you already know and trust, you’re probably off to a pretty good start. The things that are particularly worrisome are the things that come through text message and unsolicited emails.”
Wisconsin Better Business Bureau CEO Ran Hoth says making sure that coupon or email you’re getting is legit is key. “If you see a link from someone you’re not familiar with, that’s beginning of the potential compromise of your computer with the download of a virus or malware, and it could be a lot worse.”
Albrecht says that you really need to scrutinize those deals, especially when you come across a rock bottom discount on your social media streams. “There will be a lot of too good to be deals, particularly on social media websites, and people just need to be aware that that sort thing of thing is out there and to be careful and cautious of what they’re clicking on.” Many scammer may try to use accounts that have been compromised to send out link spam to friends, so make sure to check those deals, even if you think it’s coming from someone you.
Hoth adds that many scammers will try to fool you with phony tracking emails from UPS or the Postal Service. “Make sure you’re on the main domain site of shipping company and you’re not being compromised.” No legitimate shipping company will force you to install or download a program to track your packaging.
If you do run into any problems, you can contact either the Better Business Bureau or DATCP.
WSAU