Holiday Shopping Scam
If you are shopping online this holiday season, you have probably seen an email something like this with a legitimate looking store logo. Because you love to be appreciated, a free gift seems a nice gesture. Because I have done a lot of online shopping, Best Buy, Walmart and Bass Pro Shop all seem to have offered me free gifts. This is a holiday scam.
When I opened this Best Buy offer, I was given a choice of one of 6 gifts. All I had to do was pay the shipping. I paid the shipping on a nice smart watch. (Hey! No laughing or judging, the promotion looked real to me.) I got my smart watch proving how much Best Buy loved me. Two months later, I noticed a $59 charge on my credit card and couldn't think of what I bought. Checking the previous month, I found the same charge. I called the associated number and then drove to the store in San Jose to confront the manager and return the watch. I only had to embarrass the store owner a little bit in front of customers to get everything resolved.
What in the photo ad above seems suspicious to you? Well, I ignored it. What in the email subject line and address below seems suspicious to you? Well, I ignored it?
A Few Tips:
- Check the email address. If it doesn't look right, don't open it.
- If you do open it, check the text in the ad. If it doesn't seem correct, don't respond to it.
- Check the official store site for promotions or reward programs.
- Call the store and ask about the promotion.
- My cardinal rule: "Don't pay for anything through an unsolicited phone call or email."
With the number of COVID cases skyrocketing in California, I opted for online shopping this year. I enjoy free stuff so I ignored all the warning signs on this email and got scammed. To be fair, I did receive the watch, but who knows how many $59 payments would have been taken. Best Buy was no involved in the transaction. It could have turned out a lot worse so despite the wonderful season we are in, I offer this caution.
I hope you have a wonderful holiday. Help someone in need, so they can, too. And above all, keep on fishin'.
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Holiday scams are higher then ever and we all need to see the warnings. If it’s to go to be true then it’s not true, to us at least.
We are sorry to hear that you got charged, but was nice that you confronted them and got resolved.
Happy holidays.
Cheers,
Mathew&Deloris;
Thanks for taking the time to comment. Happy Holidays.