Dear Friend,
During the holiday season, it’s important to be on the lookout for potential scammers trying to take advantage of unsuspecting consumers. In an effort to get a great bargain, some shoppers can become victims to those selling counterfeit goods online.
Dear Friend,
During the holiday season, it’s important to be on the lookout for potential scammers trying to take advantage of unsuspecting consumers. In an effort to get a great bargain, some shoppers can become victims to those selling counterfeit goods online.
Fortunately, there are some red flags that shoppers can keep in mind to help prevent that from happening. The Department of Homeland Security recommends only shopping with online retailers that have verified email addresses and accept credible payment options. Use free email verification tools available online to make sure a seller’s email address actually exists, and look for retailers that are accepting payment via credit cards or known services like PayPal, so that if something goes wrong, you have a trusted party to seek a credit from.
When giving out personal financial information online, look for a padlock in the upper left corner of your screen and make sure the website address begins with https. The “s” indicates that the site is secure and suitable for payment processing.
Finally, products that are priced at unusually low rates or shipping from outside the United States should also be approached with caution. Frequently, deals that look “too good to be true,” probably are.
In addition to keeping these tips in mind, you can learn more at the federal government’s one-stop-shop for anti-counterfeiting resources, stopfakes.gov. You can report suspected counterfeit goods to the Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center to help ensure others don’t fall victim to these scams.
As always, my office is here to serve you. If you have questions or comments about the topics that matter most to you, I encourage you to contact me through my website. You may also keep up-to-date on what I’m doing by following me on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. If you need assistance dealing with a federal agency, such as the IRS or the VA, please do not hesitate to contact my Bothell office at (425) 485-0085.
