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What we saw last season
Holiday deals are rolling in; so are online shopping scams, one of the FTC’s top complaint categories. Last year, the FTC logged waves of fake shopping sites promoted through social ads and “can’t deliver your package” texts that pushed shoppers to credential-stealing pages.
FBI field offices also flagged pet-sale scams that start with a deposit, then pile on made-up shipping or vet fees. Three-quarters of these online shopping reports involved a median loss of $130 — small but enough to be a nuisance.
Safe shopping checklist: before, during, and after
Start with the seller, not the sale. If a tempting link pulls you in from a social ad, don’t click through. Type the retailer’s name into your browser, check the URL letter-for-letter, and skim recent reviews for delivery or refund complaints.
Scan the site itself. Look for grainy logos or product images copied from other retailers. Right-click product photos (or long-press on mobile), select “Search image with Google” or “Search by image,” and see if they appear on other sites under a different brand. A missing “About” page, no physical address, or contact forms that only list an email are other giveaways.
At checkout, use credit cards. They carry dispute rights if the seller disappears or the item never arrives. Avoid gift cards, wires, or person-to-person transfers; those are harder to reverse and figure prominently in loss-heavy frauds. Bank transfers and payment apps made up the largest aggregate losses last year, while credit cards were the most frequently reported method — a reminder to choose the option with recourse.
Keep an eye on the account you shop with. Turn on multifactor authentication for your email; most credential-theft scams need a password and a one-time code to work. During the holidays, go through your bank statements every few days. Small test charges often precede bigger hits. Keep order confirmations and screenshots, too.
Treat delivery messages as suspect until you know otherwise. “Can’t deliver your package” texts are a common lure. Don’t tap the link. Open the retailer’s app or the shipper’s site directly and check your shipping status there.
If something feels off, act right away. Contact the seller once, then your card issuer to start a dispute. Change any password you may have entered on a questionable site, and don’t reuse it elsewhere. Report the incident to the FTC; those reports feed the Consumer Sentinel system investigators use to track repeat scams and seasonal spikes. (FTC data in this newsletter derives from those consumer submissions.)
See a bad charge? Call your card issuer the same day and open a dispute. Reset any password you used on the site. And, for the next two billing cycles, check your statements and set alerts for new credit inquiries or account changes.
AICPA members can use Aura to handle this automatically. You’ll get real-time alerts around credit pulls, leaked passwords, and unusual transactions. Aura will also coordinate recovery in case of fraud. Get up to 68%* off and a 60-day money-back guarantee** on annual plans.
*Based on standard pricing starting at $13/month for the Individual Plan.
**You may cancel your membership online and request a refund within 60 days of your Aura membership purchase either through your Aura Account Membership portal or by calling us at 1-855-712-0021.