WAVE 3 TV Louisville, KY | IN Attorney General warns of online scams

IN Attorney General warns of online scams

By Janelle MacDonald - bio | email
Posted by Charles Gazaway - email

JEFFERSONVILLE, IN (WAVE) - Hardcore shoppers are gearing up to snap up those holiday bargains. Because we know you work hard for your cash, we don't want you to get scammed out of it. Here is some information we just learned to make sure the only money leaving your wallet as you shop is for gifts.

You've heard the saying, "Follow the money." Indiana's Attorney General, Greg Zoeller, said crooks are following the money trail to where potential targets are and right now, that means online shopping. 

"It's very likely that we're going to see very aggressive consumer scams being run through the holiday shopping season," Zoeller said.

Zoeller says crooks follow the crowd, so where a couple months ago, scammers were targeting healthcare concerns, now it's all about online shopping.

"Right now, shopping and bargain hunting is kind of everybody's focus, so the scammers that we are particularly worried about seem to always gravitate to those areas where the public's attention is," said Zoeller.

But we've all heard the saying, "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is." If people are following that warning and still getting scammed, what's the secret?

Consumer protection groups say people after your money are getting more sophisticated, tapping into legitimate purchases.

"At the end of the purchase, they'll offer you 10 dollars off if you click here or something, but often if you do that, you end up signing up for something that if you don't read the fine print carefully, it will end up at a negative option agreement that will end up taking money out of your credit card or your bank account," said Charlie Mattingly with Louisville's Better Business Bureau.

Mattingly also said look at the web address when you're making your purchases.

"Be sure if you're going to give a credit card or any kind of financial information that you're at a secure web site, that has the https:// at the top of it," said Mattingly.

Zoeller said all of this is because tough economic times hurt in more ways than one.

"We've seen people who are a little more desperate, seem to be more vulnerable," said Zoeller.

The AG's office monitors scams across the country to get a better idea of what might be coming here.  Sign up for alerts by clicking here. 

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