Better Business Bureau offers online shopping safety tips for holiday season

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - The Better Business Bureau is encouraging online shoppers to read customer reviews before adding items to their cart as consumers search for holiday deals and hard-to-find gifts.

Reviews with photos and videos help shoppers make safer purchasing decisions, according to BBB guidance. The number of reviews also serves as an indicator of legitimacy.

If only a few reviews have been left for a product, that’s a red flag that shoppers may be dealing with a scammer, the BBB said.

Katie Hills with the BBB recommends turning on shipping notifications when making purchases to monitor possible delays.

“This will alert you if you product is on back order, or when you product will actually arrive,” Hills said.

She also emphasized the importance of reviewing a website or company’s refund policy before purchasing in case items don’t meet expectations.

“Every legitimate business is going to have something listed on their website in regards to a return policy. Look to see where you’d need to return the item as well as how many days you can keep the item until you have to return it in order to get your money back,” Hills said.

The BBB warns against clicking links in social media advertisements, even when they appear to offer desired items or sales.

“Even if the ad looks legit, it might not be,” Hills said. “Scammers are great ...they thrive on being able to take a legit item, copy it and manipulate them. Even if that ad looks like it’s from a legit, well known reputable company, it might not be.”

Scammers use extra letters or misspellings in website addresses or links to deceive shoppers.

The BBB recommends looking up items independently in another browser rather than clicking on social media links.