BBB warning of online scams ahead of the holidays

CHARLOTTE, N.C. —  The Better Business Bureau says online purchasing scams are the number one scam reported to their office. 

The BBB  says they’ve received numerous complaints about  scammers advertising  a product online, but when its delivered  its not what you ordered. 

The scam works by using fake photos on different online platforms to get you to buy the product, but once you get it in the mail its significantly different from the picture on the website. 

Customers are having a hard time reaching the vendors making it hard to return or get a refund for the item. 

” If you get hooked into the wrong website you could lose your money and your identity so its important to know where you’re shopping,” President and CEO of the Charlotte BBB  Tom Bartholomy said.

Bartholomy also recommends looking up companies before buying off their website.

” You can’t rely on the reviews they post on their own website or their own Facebook. They have control over those. So you have to go to third party to get those checked out and find a company that you can trust,” Bartholomy said.