ROANOKE, Va. (WFXR) – The AARP Virginia Fraud Alert is advising residents of social media advertisement scams through social media feeds and ads.
According to a survey by the AARP, over one-third of U.S. adults who have made a purchase through an ad on their social media feed has reported being defrauded.
Here are tips to get ahead of the social media shopping scams:
- Don’t Click the ad. If the ad is from a known retailer, type in the address in a browser of the retailer’s app. Clicking the ad can bring you to a copycat site scammers users to impersonate sites.
- Read reviews and research. If you are not familiar with the retailer, verify the site and research the company with organizations like the Better Business Bureau.
- Check the product quality. Be cautious of bait-and-switch scams where you may receive a product that does not look like what you ordered. If this happens, contact your credit or debit card company to dispute the charges.
For help from the AARP, call 877-908-3360 or visit their Fraud Watch Network at www.aarp.org/fraudwatchnetwork.