GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – Shoppers are preparing to enter their credit card information as Cyber Monday kicks into full gear. While some retailers offer deals early, Monday is the biggest day for online shopping with over $7.9 billion in sales last year.
Being skeptical while shopping online isn’t always a bad thing. Susan Bach with the Better Business Bureau recommends sticking with reputable sites you know and avoiding “newer” sites.
“Make sure that you are using trustworthy sites. Sites that start with an ‘https’, so that anything you send like credit card information is encrypted,” Bach tells WTAQ News, “Stick with those familiar websites that have a long track record. This is not the time to be trying out a new website just because it has a great deal on an item that you’re looking for.”
Bach says five minutes of research can save a lot of time and pain later on.
“if somebody is selling it at half of what you’d expect, that’s a huge red flag that they’re probably some kind of scammer,” Bach says, “scammers will set up these fake websites and offer those too good to be true deals, so you really want to do your research on the website you’re shopping at.”
If the deals seem too good to be true, they probably are. Bach also recommends keeping anti-virus software up-to-date before shopping online.
If you’re unsure about the legitimacy of a site, check it with the BBB or avoid it completely.
