SEATTLE — While many families fulfill holiday traditions by decorating their homes or lawns for Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas, scammers make it part of their routine to trick consumers into making misleading purchases.
The Better Business Bureau of Washington said consumers are reporting to the BBB instances where they thought they ordered one item and received another long after the purchase was made.
"They thought they ordered a giant seven-foot pumpkin head and a skeleton but after almost a month what they actually received was two rubber seven-inch dolls that sort of look like was advertised," said Logan Hickle, communications manager for the BBB of Washington. "We've seen this happen many times and often it ends up with that company not responding to the customer inquiry about that misleading online listing."
To avoid forking over money for falsely advertised holiday décor deals, the BBB recommends doing research on online companies before making purchases, especially when it's a website you have never shopped before.
Hickle said looking for the company's contact information is a first good step in verifying its legitimacy.
"That should include things like a telephone number and email address, and preferably a physical address as well, Hickle said.
Another step you should take is to search for reviews on the company in question.
"You want to be wary of those deals that seem too good to be true," Hickle said. "Keep in mind these large decorations for holidays that involve special lights and technology - they're going to be more expensive - so if you find something amazing for cheap, it could be a scam."
Another tip is to look out for ads on social media, especially after you've done some browsing on an item you're interested in.
"You don't want to make these quick social purchases on social media," Hickle said. "These scam advertisers can track your habits from social media and then target you with specific products that they think you'll fall for, so don't buy anything on impulse while scrolling through your feed. Just because it passed as an advertisement through the social media platform's advertising team - that doesn't mean it's a legitimate deal."
if you do fall for a holiday décor purchase scam - contact the financial institution you used to make the purchase. You may not always receive a refund but filing a report to dispute the charges is recommended.
You can also track recent scams or report new ones by using the BBB Scam Tracker tool.