Purchase products for home online with care
With recent reports of possible shortages for various home-cleaning products such as sanitizers, disinfectants, paper products, etc. due to COVID-19, the Better Business Bureau warns that fake websites claiming to sell these and other related products are also continuing to surface.
Investigations by BBB show that most of these websites are newly created within the last couple of months. And, as quickly as they surface, many quickly disappear. The perpetrators behind the websites keep their identity private, and often disband the sites soon after they have created them and take your money.
The Better Business Bureau of Greater Houston and South Texas offers these tips when shopping online:
• Research a business at BBBHouston.org.
Whether the website offers face masks or toilet paper, verify its legitimacy before you make a purchase or provide your personal information.
• Know who you are dealing with. Check spelling and domain names. Google the website to see if others have been complaining. Look for other tell-tale signs such as poor grammar, lack of information, and capital letters in the middle of sentences.
• Ensure the website address begins with https://. The “s” stands for “secure.” A trustworthy online seller will have a secure domain, keeping your information safe from hackers. Also, check the address bar for a “not secure” message. Many websites will also have security certification logos visible on their page. Always click on them to verify they open an attached security policy because many scam sites will simply display these logos without an option to click through to a policy.
• Check the age of a website’s domain. There are various sites that allow you to see the ownership information of website domains. You can also check whether a website was established recently. Because crises like the coronavirus provide new avenues for scammers to take advantage of the public, they will often establish new websites that match current events.
• Check for an about page and a contact us. Scammers are creative, but they don’t often take the time to fabricate a full brand history like you would find on a company’s about us page. They may fabricate contact information, but BBB recommends ensuring the phone numbers and email addresses are both legitimate and responsive.
• Phishing emails often lack personalization. Legitimate companies communicate with customers using their name, but scammers do not often know their victims. Many email scams will begin with a non-personalized salutation, like “Dear sir or madam.”
• Always pay by credit card. When purchasing any product or service through a website, always use a credit card as your payment method. If you pay by credit card online, your transaction will be protected. If the product arrives defective or does not arrive at all, you can dispute the charge on your credit card and temporarily withhold payment while the creditor investigates them.
The Better Business Bureau is an unbiased nonprofit organization that sets and upholds high standards for fair and honest business behavior. Visit www.bbbhouston.org or call 713-868-9500. Leah Napoliello is senior director of Investigative Services with the BBB of Greater Houston and South Texas.