FBI Warns Holiday Shoppers To Watch Out For Online Scams
Nov 20, 2018, 6:57 PM | Updated: 8:29 pm
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – A lot of people are already starting to make purchases in the comfort of their own homes. But local FBI agents say don’t get too comfortable while doing your internet shopping, there are a lot of fake websites out there targeting holiday shoppers.
“It is a big concern of ours, because everyone is shopping online, it is such a trend to shop online, but there are a lot of dangers that come with that,” said FBI agent Jeff Collins.
Collins says identity theft is how the most people are victimized while shopping online.
He says always shop from a reputable and known sites, and be careful with websites based outside of the U.S.
“Change your passwords often, use unique passwords for each website,” Collins added.
Use a credit card, instead of a debit card, that way it is easier to get your money back if you do fall victim to fraud, and most importantly, watch out for those phishing emails that often lead people to fake websites.
“The number one thing is we say report it and there are a lot of ways to do that, with local police or the FBI, but we recommend if it is anything cyber, computer related, report to the internet complaint center,” he added.
The FBI has this website dedicated to make it easy for consumers to file a complaint. The bureau’s Internet Crime Complaint Center can be accessed at IC3.gov.
