More people claiming they are receiving counterfeit items

The Better Business Bureau is alerting people to a scam that is getting national attention– counterfeit items. Many people are reporting to the Better Business Bureau that the goods they’ve shopped for online weren’t what they ordered.

According to the Better Business Bureau, online purchases were the second riskiest scam of 2018. That number could be even higher because some victims may not file a report or not know the item is counterfeit.

The Better Business Bureau has a list of tips on how to avoid a counterfeit.

The organization suggests always knowing who you’re buying from. For example, many times victims will see an ad in their email or on social media and think it is the real deal when it actually is not. If you are interested in the item advertised, the Better Business Bureau said to go to the company website directly.

Another tip: If you are on a company website about to order something, watch out for mistakes on the page. Those mistakes could be grammar errors, wrong information about the business, etc.

Another huge red flag is to look for contact information. If the company has no phone number or address, that is often a sign that it could be a fraud.

The Better Business Bureau also said to keep one more thing in mind — if a deal is too good to be true, it likely is.