Get your school year off to a good start with Better Business Bureau’s back-to-school shopping tips.
As high school, college and university students prepare for the new school year, the need for technology supplies increases.
However, the shortage of essential supplies such as computer chips can limit the options available to buyers.
Students and families may find it difficult to purchase the exact technology they want from reputable vendors.
“We expect an increase in online shopping scams during the back-to-school shopping season as more and more shoppers search for school supplies such as computers,” said Simone Lis, President and CEO of BBB serving mainland BC.
“Last year, nearly a third of the scams reported by Canadians a BBB scam locator involved online shopping scams, with just over 73% of those targeted losing money. This made it the third riskiest scam in Canada according to ours BBB Risk Report 2021. ”
Taking advantage of hot tickets, hard-to-find or seasonal consumer goods, such as back-to-school technologies, online shopping scams often start when scammers target shoppers with bogus offers, enticing ads, and attractive but fake websites .
Once an order is placed, victims find that they receive nothing or the items they receive are counterfeit or below what the ads promised.
To ensure a pleasant back-to-school shopping experience, BBB advises shoppers to keep the following tips in mind when purchasing tech supplies:
- Shop with familiar retailers. Laptops, tablets, or other tech accessories can be a significant investment. Shop with companies you know and trust to make sure you get a quality product and good customer service.
- Finish shopping early. Supply shortages are possible, especially as many consumers start shopping for the same products. Shop now to avoid paying higher prices or falling victim to a scam.
- Know what you are buying. Set a budget, identify which skills will benefit your student, and compare your options. So, look for a reputable seller. Researching the best product for your needs will help you avoid scams and buyer remorse.
- Avoid making quick purchases while browsing social media. Scammers advertise websites that offer great deals or hard-to-find products, but don’t deliver the product at all or deliver counterfeit products. Do more research on these products by searching online for more information and reviews.
- Don’t buy from impostors. Scammers may use the name, logo, and other features of brands you trust. Review the website carefully to verify that they are who they say they are. Make sure the website has “https” in the URL (the extra s stands for “secure”) and a small padlock icon in the address bar.
- Pay with credit card: Credit cards often offer more protection against fraud than other payment methods. Never use debit cards for online purchases.
- Keep track of what you ordered: Make a note of the website where you ordered the goods. Take a screenshot of the ordered item, in case the website disappears or you receive an item other than the one advertised.
- Approach “prices too good to be true” with caution. Low prices and short-term sales may signal that you have encountered a scam. If the price seems too good to be true, it probably is.
- Search the website before making a purchase:
- Check BBB.org to verify a company’s rating and BBB accreditation status. See the BBB seal, the sign of a better business, on a company profile on bbb.org or on the company’s website. Some fake companies may copy the BBB seal to legitimize themselves. If it’s real, clicking on the seal will take you to the company’s BBB profile.
- Search the Internet with the company name and the words “complaint”, “scam” and “review”. This could pinpoint other complaints on the site or let you know if they are legitimate or not.
- Scamadviser.com it can often tell you how long a website has been running. Scammers create and close websites regularly, so a site that’s only recently up and running could raise red flags.
- Check customer reviews: Scammers often post positive reviews on their websites, copied from honest sites or created by scammers (fake profiles, bots, etc.). A reliable resource for checking reviews is BBB.org. Keep in mind that some review websites claim to be independent but are funded by scammers. Look at the negative reviews first. They are more likely to be real and can help identify scams.
If you think you’ve come across an online shopping, be sure to report it to the right place and protect other unsuspecting consumers:
Get your school year off to a good start with BBB’s Shopping tips for back to school.