How to avoid scams while shopping for Valentine’s Day

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – Valentine’s Day spending is expected to reach $29 billion this year, according to the National Retail Federation. But some of that money may go into the pockets of scammers.

Judy Dollison is the president and CEO of the Better Business Bureau (BBB) of Central and Southeast Ohio and says that one of the major ways scammers can take advantage of the loving holiday is to create fake websites with a convincing image.

“The website may look very professional, have beautiful photography, you know, great looking jewelery for sale but if the prices sound too good to be true, that’s probably a pretty good sign that it could be a fake website,” Dollison said. “Even if the logo and the name of the website is a well-known brand, that doesn’t mean that the scammer isn’t just stealing, you know, that logo and creating that website on their own.”

The first thing to verify is that the website offers legitimate payment methods. Peer-to-peer methods like Venmo or Zelle aren’t normal for traditional retailers to use. You can also see if the website has customer service options. Fake websites typically do not include customer service options.

“Another big scam we see around Valentine’s Day is around fake florist scams, and BBB receives a lot of these complaints every year, whether it’s ordering flowers that you never get or being very disappointed with what you do receive,” Dollison said.

Dollison recommends doing your research when picking out your florists to see how they’ve served customers in the past and how they’ve addressed complaints in the past.