The top fall holiday sales events of the year are fast approaching, so start adding things to your wish list and mark your calendar. As always, Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving, with some businesses starting as early as midnight and following through to Cyber Monday on November 28.
However, holiday shopping has already started. Early Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals are currently running through Amazon, Target, Costco, Best Buy, Walmart and others. Many businesses look at the holidays as the most profitable time of the year. Unfortunately, so do scammers.
Whether you’re a consumer or a business, as much as we look forward to holiday shopping, be aware of scams. Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Here are some security tips to keep in mind.
- Search the Better Business Bureau’s new BBB Scam Tracker to help avoid scams this holiday season. If an offer or request sounds questionable, search by email, URL, phone number and more to see if someone else has reported a similar situation. Always look closely at an email address or URL to verify that it’s legitimate. View the BBB news feed for the latest scam alerts, tips and warnings.
- Make smart donations. In some areas, people are receiving phone calls claiming to be from the local police department or another organization asking them to buy gift cards for a worthy cause. These scams are meant to exploit generous people in the holiday spirit. Never reply directly or act immediately to an unsolicited call. Always do your research and go to the organization’s website or app and type in the URL
- Non-delivery and non-payment scams are surefire ways to ruin the holidays. According to the FBI, victims of a non-delivery scam pay for online goods or services they never receive. In a non-payment scam, goods or services are shipped, but the seller is never paid. Also, never click suspicious links, attachments in emails and always verify a website’s URL.
Is your home Internet fast enough to accommodate multiple people streaming, gaming and shopping this holiday season? Does your home Wi-Fi offer network reliability and security features?
Find out what Internet speeds and services Great Plains Communications offers here.