How to avoid scams when buying the hottest toys this holiday season
BOSTON - When it comes to gift giving this season, those holiday wish lists matter most for children. For some parents, that means giving Santa a helping hand, with the search for the "must have" toy already underway.
Some of the hottest toys this holiday season include Furbies, the Barbie Dreamhouse, Sesame Street's singing and dancing Elmo and the Hot Wheels ID Smart Track. For the full list of CNET's hottest holiday toys, click here.
Helping Santa get the gifts your kids want can be tough. It seems to get a little more challenging each year to get your hands on the in-demand toys. But it's important to be careful that you don't fall prey to scams.
"If you're looking online for a hot toy, it's sold out [at] every store you go to visit. You sat, decided to jump online, do a quick search and you spot an ad on your social media feed. This may take you to a website that miraculously has the item in stock and it may even look extremely professional," said Paula Fleming, the chief marketing and sales officer for the Better Business Bureau (BBB) of Eastern Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Vermont. "It could be a mirror of a legitimate website and unfortunately, you are either then making the purchase and you never receive the product or you receive a knockoff of the product."
Fleming offered tips for consumers when doing their holiday shopping:
- Do your research before you make any purchases.
- Make sure you're only making purchases from reputable stores and websites.
- Don't be fooled by super-low prices. That's usually the biggest red flag.
If you're not familiar with a business, you can always look them up on the BBB website first.
"I also encourage people, during the holiday season, [to] use one credit card for all purchases, keep those receipts, keep e-recipts and make sure you understand the return policy," said Fleming.
