( KLFY )– Scammers are well known for exploiting consumers through social media.

Many small businesses utilize social media to get the word out about their products. Unfortunately, many scammers also use social media to take advantage of people online.

“What we’ve been seeing and what we’ve been having reported to us locally are online shopping scams,” Chris Babin, of the Better Business Bureau of Acadiana, said. “We know those have been on the rise for the past couple of years, especially on social media. The reason it’s focusing on social media so much is because there’s little to no governance on what you can actually advertise on social media. So, whether or not it’s an actual product, whether or not the product is legitimate, whether or not the website it’s leading you to is secure.”

In 2022, the BBB found that online purchase scams were the most common cons reported to Scam Tracker and was also the category with the most victims. Name brand products are prime targets for unauthorized duplication.

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Babin went on to say, “Scammers want their advertisements to stand out so they’re going to make the pricing, especially cheap pricing, that would be a lot cheaper than you’d be able to find a product elsewhere which a lot of times leads to counterfeit product, things that aren’t exactly what you thought it was or the products broken so you have to pay attention to warranties.”

The BBB put together a list of actions to keep in mind in order to protect yourself from social media scams.

The BBB has some tips you should follow:

• Products that claim to support charity
• Free trial offers
• Name brand products being sold at suspiciously low prices
• Apps of unknown origins
• Do your research before making a purchase
• Search for previous complaints or reviews about the business
• Use good judgement and not emotional purchasing
• Always read the terms and conditions agreement before signing anything

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