Beware of scam targeting last-minute Halloween shoppers in BC
If you’re looking for a last-minute costume for this weekend’s Halloween festivities, you might want to watch out for a nasty scam.
The BC Better Business Bureau is warning locals of fake websites that offer deals which are “all tricks, no treats.”
According to the Better Business Bureau, the scam works by people seeing online ads or receiving emails with extremely discounted Halloween costumes. For example, ads that use show offers such as “90% off” or deals that use phrases like “overstock clearance” and “reduced prices.”
The bureau has received multiple reports of these schemes through its scam tracker, where people have clicked on the deals and shared their credit card information on the imposter websites.
Fake social media ad for Spirit Halloween. (Scamicide.com)
However, there are a number of tips available to help avoid similar scams.
Firstly, you can search the company’s name on the Better Business Bureau’s website to see if other similar issues have been reported. You can also look up the company name with key terms such as “scam” or “complaint.”
Another way to watch out is by checking the contact information. Legitimate retailers tend to have a physical address and a phone number for customer service, so if there’s only an email, it could be a phony site.
The business bureau also recommends only using secure payment methods such as credit cards and avoiding sites that ask for direct bank transfers or unusual payment options. It advises customers to trust the fraud alerts from their banks.
Lastly, you can use a fake website checker, such as Google’s Safe Browsing tool, to test a site’s legitimacy.
With Halloween right around the corner, let’s avoid being tricked online. After all, everyone prefers a treat!