(WXYZ) — I have a scam alert to tell you about, and it involves shopping online.
If you're shopping online and your credit card gets declined, watch out. It may be a signal you're getting scammed.
The Better Business Bureau just issued a warning about this, so I talked with the BBB to find out what you need to know.
Consumer advocates are calling this the "card declined" scam. If you get that message, stop what you're doing and check the retailer's URL for misspellings.
The BBB's scam tracker has received reports from consumers who've received fraudulent charges on their financial accounts after a "card declined" message popped up while they were shopping online.
Just a couple of weeks ago, the BBB said a woman in Troy was targeted.
“She thought she was buying a pair of shoes. Turns out it was an imposter site. The next day she got a text message. Luckily, her bank was on top of it, so she got a text message about a fraud alert. And she said, no, I wasn't trying to buy airline tickets," Nakia Mills, the BBB's Director of Marketing, said.
She explained that when the woman entered her card information on the fake website, the scammer saved it, then tried to charge a $408 plane ticket using the card.
Thankfully, her bank caught the fraud, and she didn't lose any money.
“These bad actors are creating fake websites that look so similar to the actual retailer's website that they fool people?" I asked.
"Exactly. You know, we used to be able to say, ‘Look out for bad grammar. Look out for blurred images.’ But now with AI, it comes into play even in this, too," Mills said. "These scammers can fix their grammar. They can have AI type great sentences out for them and then paste that into this imposter site."
The BBB said here's how to avoid the scam:
- Verify you're shopping on a legitimate website by looking at the URL to make sure it's not off by a letter or two or a .net instead of a .com, and that it's secure with an "https" in front of the URL
- Watch out for fake emails, texts and ads, especially if they're pushing you to click a link. Instead, visit a trusted business' website on your own
- Don't be fooled by great offers. Get an idea of the actual price of the product by comparing prices on verified retails websites
- Research the business by looking up customer reviews on the BBB.org website or search the BBB scam tracker
- Use a credit card for extra protection. You should be able to dispute any unanticipated charges
The BBB adds that it's always smart to talk with your credit card company or bank to confirm what protections you have on your cards. For example, setting purchase limits and travel restrictions.
You can event sign up to get notifications when purchases are made, no matter how large or small.
