Beware of Deals that Sound Too Good to be True; They Are
By: Marlisa Goldsmith
Updated: November 20, 2012
It is that time of year again.
Looking for gifts, buying food for parties, and lets face it, we are all looking for a good deal.
And it can be hard to pass up a good deal when it falls right into your lap, or your inbox.
"It was in the middle of the night when I got it," says Paul Olson.
A text message that reads: "Your entry last month has won! Go to targetcontests.com and enter your winning code to claim your free $1,000 Target gift card within 24 hours."
One person who received this text message explains, "First minute I'm thinking yeah, I can do this for Christmas, I can do that for Christmas. I can buy these for the church, for the needy."
But something just didn't sit well with this gentleman.
He continues, "And then a light bulb just went off in my head. No, something's not right."
This guy may not have thought much of it, but Olson was not giving up so easily.
Olson went to Target in hopes of claiming his prize, but walked out empty-handed.
He describes his reaction saying, "Disappointed. I was thinking about upgrading tv and my camera."
Scammers may be smart in using updated methods, but shoppers are getting even smarter.
"If it sounds too good to be true, take a step back, investigate it before you start handing out your information."
It may not have been the Christmas gift these men were hoping for, but it was a lesson well learned and they were able to avoid a big mess that could have left them in debt or even worse, with a stolen identity.
If you would like to find more ways on how you can prevent this from happening to you or to report a scam, go to: ic3.gov.
Looking for gifts, buying food for parties, and lets face it, we are all looking for a good deal.
And it can be hard to pass up a good deal when it falls right into your lap, or your inbox.
"It was in the middle of the night when I got it," says Paul Olson.
A text message that reads: "Your entry last month has won! Go to targetcontests.com and enter your winning code to claim your free $1,000 Target gift card within 24 hours."
One person who received this text message explains, "First minute I'm thinking yeah, I can do this for Christmas, I can do that for Christmas. I can buy these for the church, for the needy."
But something just didn't sit well with this gentleman.
He continues, "And then a light bulb just went off in my head. No, something's not right."
This guy may not have thought much of it, but Olson was not giving up so easily.
Olson went to Target in hopes of claiming his prize, but walked out empty-handed.
He describes his reaction saying, "Disappointed. I was thinking about upgrading tv and my camera."
Scammers may be smart in using updated methods, but shoppers are getting even smarter.
"If it sounds too good to be true, take a step back, investigate it before you start handing out your information."
It may not have been the Christmas gift these men were hoping for, but it was a lesson well learned and they were able to avoid a big mess that could have left them in debt or even worse, with a stolen identity.
If you would like to find more ways on how you can prevent this from happening to you or to report a scam, go to: ic3.gov.
