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COMMERCIAL APPEAL
MEMPHIS. TN
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DAilY
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Web
.'
scams haunt,season,~
BBB warns
Tips: Read fine print,
pay with credit card
B-1' R.uroy HUI'CHtNSON
Spec!..at to The Commercia! Appeal
Fore;:asts for hoUday sales are all
over the board, but there's little
doubt that many shoppers will con­
tinue to forgo the trip to the store
and tick off the names on their
"nice" list from the comfort of their
homes.
l'nfortunately, online scammers
will be waiting for them,
Some crooks are simply looking to
gamer personal and financial infor­
mation to commit identity theft,
Others are really selling a product,
but it isn't what the consumer ex·
peets and may come with ongoing
monthly charges that hear she didn't
authorize and can't get stopped_
Better Business Bureaus across
the country are receiving an on­
slaught of complaints about teeth
whiteners and products made from
the acai-berry. l'biquitous ads for
these products can be found on
many weU-known Web sites, on so­
dal networking sites ilke Facebook
and in spam e-mails.
Thev offer a no-risk free trial with
a guaranteed refund ofyour money if
you aren't happy with the product.
AU you have to Co is pro,ide your
credit or debit card number to pay a
small shipping and handling charge.
Consumers have complained to
the BBB that the\" start recching
montlliycharges belOre the free trial
period ends and that they continue
to be billed even aiter telling the
company they want to cancel.
I stopped at " Dunkin Donuts
store in Jackson. Teen., a few weeks
ago after taping ",ine TV inter­
views. The coumer lady there
knows I'm with the BBB and reJayed
her own acai~beITY ~alf! of woe.
She saw an ad on the Internet and
pro,ided her crecii t card number to
pay $3.95 in shipping and handling
for a free trial. !\Q\\' she's getting
charged $70 month and can't get the
charges stopped. The product came
in a plain brown Wfopper with no
return address.
What can you dol V~ protect your­
self when you're shopping online?
• Know who you're dealing with.
Check out any company with the
BBB. Don't buy something in re­
sponse to UllsoliciteG e-mails. and
be wary of pop-up boxes.
• Check for a physical address.
phone numbers and a refund policy.
It's amazing how many great-looking
Web sites only have ane-mall address
for contacting the seUer. Be sure you
understand the refund policy.
• Read the fine print and be sure
you understand all of the lenns of a
free trial.
• Get all tbe details on your pur­
chase - how much the product or
senice costs, what's included for
that price, whether there are ship­
ping charges, and the de'ivery time.
Print out the confirmatjon page.
• Look for signs that online pur·
chases are secure. At the point lhat
you're pro\iding your payment in­
fonnation, the beginning of the Web
site address should change from
httptoshttporhttPS,indicatingthat
the information is being encrypted
(turned into code that can only be
read by the seUer). Your browser
may also signal that the information
is secure with a symbol, such as a
broken key that becomes whole or a
padlock that closes.
• Keep your computer secure for
safe shopping and other online ac­
tivities. Protect your computer with
spam filters, anti-virus and anti·spy·
ware software, and a firewall, and
keep them up to date.
• Pay with a credit card. l;nder
federal law, you can dispute the
charges if you didn't authorize them
or didn't get what you were
promised.
Rcn4l; Hutchl1lS01l is presuJmi and
CEO if the Bater Business Bureau of
the MUl·South. He elm be rt!aciwi at
rhutchiMcm@bbbmidsouth.org.