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BBB issues reminders about online shopping scams

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) - The Better Business Bureau is reminding people to be smart when shopping online.

Rebecca Barr, a communications manager for the BBB says online purchase scams are the number one thing reported to them every year through their scam tracker.

Barr recommends doing research, especially if it's a company you're not familiar with, and to find out what others are saying about them.

"Some of the red flags we want to look out for when we're purchasing something online from an unfamiliar website is if they're asking for an untraceable form of payment. So just wire transfers or Venmo instead, or a cash app. Those are going to be huge red flags," Barr said.

Barr also suggests doing a reverse Google image search, to see if the images pop up on other websites.

She also says if a company will only communicate via text or email, that is a huge red flag.

"That's why you want to try as best as possible to try to shop local. If you can walk into the store and talk to an employee, thats all ready a good sign, in case you do have an issue with the product or service, you know where you can go back to," Barr said.

Article Topic Follows: Scam Alerts

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Rachel Fabbi

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