Opinion
Every year millions of consumers nationwide eagerly anticipate holiday shopping events such as Cyber Monday.
Unlike other holiday shopping days however, Cyber Monday only requires you to have access to a computer and a credit card to complete your purchase.
Despite the convenience, there are still many risks with online purchases and scammers are well prepared to take advantage of consumer’s mistakes.
Although online shopping has many benefits, it’s important to watch out for scams. According to the BBB Risk Index, online purchase scams are the riskiest scam to consumers. In 2017, more than 4,500 online purchase scams were reported to BBB Scam Tracker with the average victim losing over $100.
Additionally, consumers nationwide filed over 19,500 complaints against online retailers with BBB in 2017. Common complaints include paying for items but never receiving them, deceptive “free trial” offers, and issues returning products and receiving refunds.
Check out these BBB tips as you prepare for your Cyber Monday purchases:
1. Do your research. Before buying, look up the business at www.bbb.org and look over their BBB Business Profile to see its rating, complaint history, and customer reviews. Researching a company and reading reviews before making a purchase can save you from making the same mistake others did before you. Consider buying from trustworthy BBB Accredited Businesses that are committed to BBB’s Standards for Trust.
2. Beware of “too good to be true” deals and deceptive ads. Don’t believe every Cyber Monday ad you see. You’ll probably see ads online or receive email offers advertising suspiciously low prices. Make sure the site is professional, and free of spelling and grammatical errors. Better safe than sorry; it’s better to pass up on a “great deal” than pay for a product and either never receive it or realize the advertisement or product details were misleading. Take your time and read the fine print before submitting your order.
3. Beware of phishing. Don’t open any links or attachments from unsolicited emails – even if the advertised Cyber Monday deals seem irresistible. It’s better to type the URL directly in to your search bar, or look up the company on bbb.org and follow the link in its BBB Business Profile. Also, be on the lookout for phishing emails and websites that are impersonating real businesses. Hover over links and examine logos carefully. Remember that impersonation is easy; anyone can take a company’s logo and products and set up a fake website using a legitimate domain. If you suspect you’re being phished, report it to BBB Scam Tracker to help warn others.
4. Be secure. Check the site’s security settings and privacy policy and understand them. Make sure the URL starts with “https://”, where the “s” stands for secure. Also, look for the small closed lock icon in the address bar. Don’t give away any unnecessary personal information, and be certain that you’re giving your payment information through a secure website. If the site shows a BBB Seal, click on it and make sure it links to the correct BBB Business Profile to confirm its authenticity. Protect your computer as well: make sure you have firewall, anti-virus, and anti-spyware software. Run virus scans regularly and make sure your software is up-to-date.
5. Pay with a credit card. A credit card may offer more protection than other payment methods; you can dispute a charge if you don’t receive the item. Additionally, consider it a red flag if the site will only let you use less-traceable payment forms.
6. Document everything. Keep documentation of all confirmation pages, emails and any other records. Print these out to be extra safe.
7. Read the return, cancellation, and refund policies very carefully. Make sure to look at the site’s contact page and FAQ to see what methods of contact are available should an issue arise. Consider it a red flag if they don’t have a toll free phone number and can only be contacted via email.
8. Carefully read the product details. Many people think they’re buying one thing but receive another because they didn’t read the fine print. Make sure you’re getting the size, color and other specifications that you want.
Follow these tips to feel confident shopping online this Cyber Monday. Check out BBB’s Digital IQ to learn more about how to be a savvy consumer on the Internet and test your own Digital IQ. Report online shopping scams to www.bbb.org/scamtracker to help warn others.
Evan Arnold-Gordon is a public relations specialist with the BBB serving the San Francisco Bay Area and Northern Coastal California.
Unlike other holiday shopping days however, Cyber Monday only requires you to have access to a computer and a credit card to complete your purchase.
Despite the convenience, there are still many risks with online purchases and scammers are well prepared to take advantage of consumer’s mistakes.
Although online shopping has many benefits, it’s important to watch out for scams. According to the BBB Risk Index, online purchase scams are the riskiest scam to consumers. In 2017, more than 4,500 online purchase scams were reported to BBB Scam Tracker with the average victim losing over $100.
Additionally, consumers nationwide filed over 19,500 complaints against online retailers with BBB in 2017. Common complaints include paying for items but never receiving them, deceptive “free trial” offers, and issues returning products and receiving refunds.
Check out these BBB tips as you prepare for your Cyber Monday purchases:
1. Do your research. Before buying, look up the business at www.bbb.org and look over their BBB Business Profile to see its rating, complaint history, and customer reviews. Researching a company and reading reviews before making a purchase can save you from making the same mistake others did before you. Consider buying from trustworthy BBB Accredited Businesses that are committed to BBB’s Standards for Trust.
2. Beware of “too good to be true” deals and deceptive ads. Don’t believe every Cyber Monday ad you see. You’ll probably see ads online or receive email offers advertising suspiciously low prices. Make sure the site is professional, and free of spelling and grammatical errors. Better safe than sorry; it’s better to pass up on a “great deal” than pay for a product and either never receive it or realize the advertisement or product details were misleading. Take your time and read the fine print before submitting your order.
3. Beware of phishing. Don’t open any links or attachments from unsolicited emails – even if the advertised Cyber Monday deals seem irresistible. It’s better to type the URL directly in to your search bar, or look up the company on bbb.org and follow the link in its BBB Business Profile. Also, be on the lookout for phishing emails and websites that are impersonating real businesses. Hover over links and examine logos carefully. Remember that impersonation is easy; anyone can take a company’s logo and products and set up a fake website using a legitimate domain. If you suspect you’re being phished, report it to BBB Scam Tracker to help warn others.
4. Be secure. Check the site’s security settings and privacy policy and understand them. Make sure the URL starts with “https://”, where the “s” stands for secure. Also, look for the small closed lock icon in the address bar. Don’t give away any unnecessary personal information, and be certain that you’re giving your payment information through a secure website. If the site shows a BBB Seal, click on it and make sure it links to the correct BBB Business Profile to confirm its authenticity. Protect your computer as well: make sure you have firewall, anti-virus, and anti-spyware software. Run virus scans regularly and make sure your software is up-to-date.
5. Pay with a credit card. A credit card may offer more protection than other payment methods; you can dispute a charge if you don’t receive the item. Additionally, consider it a red flag if the site will only let you use less-traceable payment forms.
6. Document everything. Keep documentation of all confirmation pages, emails and any other records. Print these out to be extra safe.
7. Read the return, cancellation, and refund policies very carefully. Make sure to look at the site’s contact page and FAQ to see what methods of contact are available should an issue arise. Consider it a red flag if they don’t have a toll free phone number and can only be contacted via email.
8. Carefully read the product details. Many people think they’re buying one thing but receive another because they didn’t read the fine print. Make sure you’re getting the size, color and other specifications that you want.
Follow these tips to feel confident shopping online this Cyber Monday. Check out BBB’s Digital IQ to learn more about how to be a savvy consumer on the Internet and test your own Digital IQ. Report online shopping scams to www.bbb.org/scamtracker to help warn others.
Evan Arnold-Gordon is a public relations specialist with the BBB serving the San Francisco Bay Area and Northern Coastal California.
- Details
- Written by: Evan Arnold-Gordon
How often do we find ourselves prompting our children to say, “Thank you?”
Whenever they’re offered a treat from a friend or an adult helps them out, we find ourselves asking, “Now, what do you say?”
We want our children to be respectful and use good manners, which is why we teach them to say, “Thank you,” but I wonder if in our attempt to produce properly mannered children, we actually overlook the thankfulness within “Thank you.”
Do we bring our children to a place where thankfulness is more than polite, but a recognizable part of their personhood? Are we at a place where thankfulness is a recognizable part of our personhood?
A few years ago, a Peanuts cartoon pictured Charlie Brown bringing out Snoopy’s dinner on Thanksgiving Day. But it was just his usual dog food in a bowl.
Snoopy took one look at the dog food and said, "This isn’t fair. The rest of the world is eating turkey with all the trimmings, and all I get is dog food. Because I’m a dog, all I get is dog food."
He stood there and stared at his dog food for a moment, and said, "I guess it could be worse. I could be a turkey."
There was very little joy in Snoopy’s thankfulness, for his thankfulness was based on a comparison. His thankfulness was based on the fact that he was better off than the turkey.
Therein lies a small lesson in that when we’re down in the dumps and full of complaints because life isn’t fair, we should recognize that there are so many others far worse off than we are.
We should stop complaining, but when it comes to our thankfulness, the basis should never be, “Whew, am I thankful that I’m not her,” or “I am so thankful I don’t have to live like that.”
Thankfulness is so much more than a comparison of our own situation to someone else’s. Thankfulness is so much more than having enough food to eat, a nice, warm home to live in, good health or financial security, because each of those circumstances can be taken from us in an instant.
Thankfulness is a state of being and a way of life, and we usually fail to live in a state of thankfulness because we take it for granted.
We’re like the world traveler who has been everywhere and seen everything and takes for granted the blessing and beauty of all that he has seen. We have become so accustomed to our blessings that they fail to excite us and generate thankfulness, for we take them for granted.
In Luke 17:11-19, he shares with us the account of one leper who was not spoiled. There have been many guesses as to why the other nine didn’t return to thank Jesus, but our focus is not on the nine, but on the one who was thankful, for he provides us with some very important lessons on thankfulness.
We have all experienced “leprosy,” a time where we felt separated and alone, whether it was in the death of a husband, or the loss of a job, or the dissolving of a marriage or the infliction of emotional pain.
We’ve all had circumstances in life where we’ve lived outside the city, where we’ve paused and asked, “God, what did I do to deserve this?”
My understanding and my relationship with God tells me that the leper didn’t deserve it, and the same can be said for each of our own bouts with “leprosy.” But do we share something else in common with the leper; do we also share his thankful attitude?
The leper also teaches us that thankfulness completes healing. I believe the leper maintained a spirit of thankfulness throughout his battle with leprosy. He likely believed that God had heard the sound of his pleadings; his heart trusted in God and that God was his saving refuge.
Thankfulness is an attitude. Thankfulness is a way of life. Thankfulness enables healing to bring wholeness.
Join us Sunday to hear more about being thankful. The service is at 11 a.m. with a hot lunch to follow. We are thankful for you and pray you will be thankful for joining us.
All are welcome so come as you are!
Chris DelCol is pastor of First Lutheran Church in Lucerne, Calif. The church is located at 3863 Country Club Drive, telephone 707-274-5572. Email Pastor Chris atThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
Whenever they’re offered a treat from a friend or an adult helps them out, we find ourselves asking, “Now, what do you say?”
We want our children to be respectful and use good manners, which is why we teach them to say, “Thank you,” but I wonder if in our attempt to produce properly mannered children, we actually overlook the thankfulness within “Thank you.”
Do we bring our children to a place where thankfulness is more than polite, but a recognizable part of their personhood? Are we at a place where thankfulness is a recognizable part of our personhood?
A few years ago, a Peanuts cartoon pictured Charlie Brown bringing out Snoopy’s dinner on Thanksgiving Day. But it was just his usual dog food in a bowl.
Snoopy took one look at the dog food and said, "This isn’t fair. The rest of the world is eating turkey with all the trimmings, and all I get is dog food. Because I’m a dog, all I get is dog food."
He stood there and stared at his dog food for a moment, and said, "I guess it could be worse. I could be a turkey."
There was very little joy in Snoopy’s thankfulness, for his thankfulness was based on a comparison. His thankfulness was based on the fact that he was better off than the turkey.
Therein lies a small lesson in that when we’re down in the dumps and full of complaints because life isn’t fair, we should recognize that there are so many others far worse off than we are.
We should stop complaining, but when it comes to our thankfulness, the basis should never be, “Whew, am I thankful that I’m not her,” or “I am so thankful I don’t have to live like that.”
Thankfulness is so much more than a comparison of our own situation to someone else’s. Thankfulness is so much more than having enough food to eat, a nice, warm home to live in, good health or financial security, because each of those circumstances can be taken from us in an instant.
Thankfulness is a state of being and a way of life, and we usually fail to live in a state of thankfulness because we take it for granted.
We’re like the world traveler who has been everywhere and seen everything and takes for granted the blessing and beauty of all that he has seen. We have become so accustomed to our blessings that they fail to excite us and generate thankfulness, for we take them for granted.
In Luke 17:11-19, he shares with us the account of one leper who was not spoiled. There have been many guesses as to why the other nine didn’t return to thank Jesus, but our focus is not on the nine, but on the one who was thankful, for he provides us with some very important lessons on thankfulness.
We have all experienced “leprosy,” a time where we felt separated and alone, whether it was in the death of a husband, or the loss of a job, or the dissolving of a marriage or the infliction of emotional pain.
We’ve all had circumstances in life where we’ve lived outside the city, where we’ve paused and asked, “God, what did I do to deserve this?”
My understanding and my relationship with God tells me that the leper didn’t deserve it, and the same can be said for each of our own bouts with “leprosy.” But do we share something else in common with the leper; do we also share his thankful attitude?
The leper also teaches us that thankfulness completes healing. I believe the leper maintained a spirit of thankfulness throughout his battle with leprosy. He likely believed that God had heard the sound of his pleadings; his heart trusted in God and that God was his saving refuge.
Thankfulness is an attitude. Thankfulness is a way of life. Thankfulness enables healing to bring wholeness.
Join us Sunday to hear more about being thankful. The service is at 11 a.m. with a hot lunch to follow. We are thankful for you and pray you will be thankful for joining us.
All are welcome so come as you are!
Chris DelCol is pastor of First Lutheran Church in Lucerne, Calif. The church is located at 3863 Country Club Drive, telephone 707-274-5572. Email Pastor Chris at
- Details
- Written by: Pastor Chris DelCol
How to resolve AdBlock issue?