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LANSING – Ahead of Valentine’s Day and as consumers shop online for gifts for their loved ones, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is reissuing her online shopping consumer alert to help protect Michiganders from scams and deceptive sales tactics.
“Valentine’s Day is a perfect opportunity to show people how much they mean to us, but when shopping online, consumers should always be cautious,” said Attorney General Nessel. “Before you click buy, make sure you are purchasing gifts from legitimate businesses and not falling victim to scams or pressure tactics.”
When online shopping, consumers should:
- Avoid online retailers if they cannot verify the company’s listed physical locations and customer service phone numbers. Anyone can set up an online shop and list a physical location and phone number, but that does not guarantee the business is legitimate. Research unfamiliar companies before placing an order.
- Do an online image search of the product and any other images the seller has posted to see where the product is coming from, how much it really costs, and who else is selling it. Watch this video to learn how to do that.
- Pay with a credit card when making online purchases. Credit cards provide protections that allow consumers to dispute charges if an item is not delivered or is not as promised.
- Create a separate email account for online purchases to keep their inbox less cluttered and help them locate and organize specific topics. If consumers start to get too many emails or no longer need them, they can easily delete the account and no longer receive future communications from those vendors.
- Protect their personal information by never sharing financial details or social security numbers via text or email, unchecking any box that allows the seller to share any of their information, and reading privacy policies. If the policy is unclear, consumers should consider ordering from a more user-friendly site.
Attorney General Nessel also encourages consumers to not be fooled by dark or deceptive patterns, tricks online retailers use to play on shoppers’ emotions and insecurities when shopping online to get them to spend more. Consumers should be wary of:
- Notices that a product is nearly sold out.
- Timers that limit the time a product can stay in a shopping cart.
- Messages that suggest there is high demand for an item in a shopping cart.
- Countdown timers that restart when a webpage is refreshed.
Consumers should secure their computer or mobile device with up-to-date anti-virus and anti-spyware software. Shoppers can set their operating systems and web browsers to update automatically, ensuring their devices have the latest protections. Consumers should also use a pop-up blocker and not open files, click on links, or download programs sent by strangers. Pop-ups are used to expose devices to a virus.
If shopping online using public Wi-Fi, consumers can install a Virtual Private Network (VPN) that will allow them to securely send and receive information on a shared or public network. They should also look for indicators that they are on a secure website, like a site that has SSL (secure sockets layer) Encryption installed, before sending any personal information. SSL-encrypted sites will start with HTTPS — instead of just HTTP — and will have a locked padlock icon appear to the left of the URL in the web address bar.
To report fraud or a general consumer complaint, contact the Michigan Attorney General. Consumers may contact the Attorney General's Consumer Protection Team at:
Consumer Protection Team
P.O. Box 30213
Lansing, MI 48909
517-335-7599
Fax: 517-241-3771
Toll-free: 877-765-8388
Online complaint form
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