Top Scams To Look Out For This Holiday Season

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NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) - The holiday season is in full swing and that means scammers are out looking to cash in.

Jim Elliot, assistant regional director for the Federal Trade Commission in Dallas, weighs in on the top 3 holiday scams outlined by CBS Money Watch.

"Know your rights, do your research, always react," said Elliot.

♦ Sites That Take Your Order, Never Deliver

CBS explains this could be a bogus site that never planned on delivering your product or a legitimate site that ran low on inventory. Elliot said consumers are protected. "A business on-line has to have a reasonable amount of product. If it can't deliver that product in the time given or 30 days, it has to give you an immediate refund," said Elliot.

Elliot suggests searching for reviews of the website before buying especially if you've never heard of the on-line business.

"See if it comes up with complaints, it'll highlight some of the issues you may deal with if you order from this company," said Elliot.

♦ Employment Scams

Preying on your need for extra cash this holiday season, scammers will often offer fake secret shopper jobs or work from home opportunities. You just have to pay the "employer" money for supplies before you start. "They are out to get your money or they are out to get your credit card information," said Elliot.

♦ Phony Package Link

Look out for emails asking you to click on a link about a package delivery -- it could be a virus. Once you click on the infected link, everything you do on your computer could be seen someone else.

"Call the business and ask if you have a package being delivered to you," said Elliot.

The FTC tells consumers to file a complaint with the FTC, Attorney General's Office and Better Business Bureau if they believed they've been scammed.

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