Tips: Don't fall victim to online holiday shopping scams

Now that we're in the winter holiday season, it's also prime time for scams.

Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday and even Giving Tuesday are all prime chances for scams.

Bucks County's Andi Neffs, has her online line of defense.

"I'm like looking for something specific, like Google it and then some some sites will come up that look a little sketchy."

FBI statistics show over 10 billion dollars in online fraud in 2022.

"We've seen each year in the prior years, the rise of social media scam ads, said Director of the Bucks County Consumer Protection Department, Michael Bannon.

Bannon says look for misspellings, especially in the web address. He says Neffs is doing it right.

"Get that name brand, and then go someplace and do a search on the internet for that name brand. Don't follow the link, do it yourself on a search. Also, you can search the name of the company and type the word scam next to it," Bannon continued.

Texting can be a scam too, especially random messages regarding a delivery you didn't schedule.

"You're going reply to that link and say I didn't order any package, and they're going to start stealing information at that, oh boy," he said.

Gift cards may appear to be a safe bet, but Bannon says many are susceptible to scams.

"Buy direct," he said. "Don't buy from a third party for a gift card for another business. Buy directly from the business when you can."

Sites proclaiming to give to charities are ripe with cheats. Head to charitynavigator.org to see if it's legit.

"Check up on this particular organization," Bannon continued. "Typically, they get a rating of an ABCDE and F. You can see how much money goes towards the cause."

Using credit cards offer more protection. If scammed, Bannon says file a police report and call an agency like his.

"I think people can have a very happy, safe holiday season. But, you just have to have your consumer antennas up."