CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – As Black Friday comes to an end, many people are reaching for their cell phones and computers to take advantage of Cyber ​​Monday deals.

But the Better Business Bureau says consumers should be wary of a trend in online shopping scams this year.

In 2023, online shopping scams accounted for 41% of all scams reported to the Better Business Bureau Scam Tracker.

BBB President and CEO Michele Mason says…

“Total sales are expected to be just under $1.6 trillion this year, and a large portion of that will occur on Cyber ​​Monday.”

Cyber ​​Monday is not a holiday like Thanksgiving or Christmas. It’s a day full of online savings.

This year, the National Retail Federation reported that about 72 million people plan to participate in Cyber ​​Monday shopping.

But you have to be careful of scammers.

Mason warns that scammers are taking advantage of consumers this peak shopping season.

“This means you want to make sure your antivirus software is up to date. “You want to check the URL before you go to a website and make sure it’s for the right merchant,” says Mason.

According to the Federal Trade Commission, consumers reported losing more than $10 billion to fraud and scams in 2023.

The Better Business Bureau also warns about fraudulent text messages from people posing as delivery services.

“We’ve seen them really skyrocket in the last month,” Mason says. “We want to make sure people don’t click on links in emails or text messages from someone you don’t expect to hear from you, even if they’re a delivery company. You should go to the website that you know is valid.” There you can search for any account information.”

Fear of being scammed even stops some shoppers, like Camden Fugate, from shopping online.

“I often go to these less trustworthy sites and get a little nervous about the scams. So I try to get out on Black Friday to avoid having to go online to shop.”

Sage Owings previously accidentally clicked on the fake link. He says…

“I was sent the fake USPS message and they said I had to enter my credit card information to deliver it. And I did it once and immediately saw that my phone and card were added to Samsung Pay. “So yeah, I called right away and definitely canceled the card.”

Mason says monitoring your bank account when shopping online is crucial to keeping your data safe…

“Make sure you report any purchases you see on a credit or debit card that doesn’t belong to you immediately and make sure you work with a retailer and your bank as quickly as possible,” says Mason.

If you become a victim of a scam, you can report it on the Better Business Bureau’s Scam Tracker website. This will let others know what is happening so you don’t become a victim.