This weekend officially kicks off the holiday shopping season with a slew of deals from Black Friday to Cyber ​​Monday… but is the deal too good to be true?

There’s going to be a lot of money flowing across Texas, and where there’s money, there’s always a risk that someone else will try to steal it, according to Jason Meza of the Better Business Bureau.

“Especially this time of year, you shouldn’t let your guard down,” Meza said. “You could be shopping at the mall and get the text message, or you could get a notification and just not think twice about it.”

According to the BBB, fraud-related losses in the state increased by nearly $1 million between 2022 and 2023. And this year alone, online shopping fraud reports to the Federal Trade Commission totaled more than $300 million nationwide.

“Social media has now become the next challenge when it comes to scams and scams,” Meza said. “The problem is that it is difficult to verify who is reputable and what kind of reseller or seller they are.”

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AARP’s Kathy Stokes says 82% of Americans have experienced some type of fraud in the past year, albeit unsuccessfully. She says another common threat during the holidays is gift card fraud.

“You have to be careful that criminals are really good at manipulating these cards, whether electronically or in-store,” Stokes said. “We found that 30% of us have given or received a gift card with no value, and that’s an increase of 21%.”

Additionally, peer-to-peer banking services like Venmo or CashApp should only be used with trusted friends or family members.

“They just have no protection, no consumer protection,” Stokes said. “So when you purchase an item, be sure to use a credit card. This is the safest option.”

And during giving season, Meza recommends being wary of fake charities, too.

“Take time to research who the charity is and who their mission and board is, and do some more research,” Meza said. “This charity will welcome your money tomorrow as much as it does today.” ((6:05))

In all of these cases, Meza says the best way to protect yourself is to think before you wipe.

“We always tell people to be careful. If they notice fraud or something just doesn’t feel right, they should be suspicious,” Meza said. “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”