INDIANAPOLIS — Many people are still searching for those perfect holiday gifts. Hoosiers are going online to check them off their list, but that is something scammers know and use to their advantage.
“They’ll [shoppers] ignore so many obvious things,” said Christopher Maxwell.
He’s a former scammer from Nigeria, who now works for Social Catfish spreading awareness to other people.
He told WRTV he used to take advantage of people’s vulnerability, especially during the holidays.
"When they go on Facebook and they see this advertisement showing you can get something that is $200 for maybe $180 or $170,” Maxwell said. “Once they do this, they connect their credit cards, their debit card, and we have direct access to their bank accounts."
The Better Business Bureau told WRTV that these types of fake ads on social media are some of the most common online holiday shopping scams.
"They're either copycat companies, or you don't have to be a legitimate company to run an ad on Facebook or other social media sites. So we see a lot of people who are falling prey to that,” Nicole Amsler, a Communications Specialist at the BBB in central Indiana, said.
The BBB said the percentage of people who reported engaging with a scammer via social media rose 63.8% from 2022 to 2023.
However, online purchase (shopping) scams dropped from the riskiest scam type for the first time since 2019, landing at number three on the list, after investment/crypto and employment scans.
This year, 41.9% of scams submitted to BBB Scam Tracker were online purchase scams, and 82.6% reported losing money.
"We do see an uptick during the holidays, again, just because of the prolific amount of money that's being spent,” Amsler explained.
It’s why they’re asking everyone to be extra vigilant this holiday season.
"Do some research, a quick Google search, or check bbb.org, and check out the company's name,” Amsler said. “If it looks too good to be true, it probably is. So keep that in mind. Consumers can use credit cards, which will give them some protection."
Social Catfish reported holiday gift-givers are being inundated with online scams and Indiana ranks No. 20 in the nation, losing a record $162.2 million last year.
The state also ranks No. 31 for victims per capita with 857 per 100,000 residents.
Amsler told WRTV that AI is making it easier for social media scams.
If you fall victim to a scam, they ask you to report it to bbb.org.
You can also look up websites or charities there as well.
