How do you know if you’ve fallen victim to an online scam | #phishing | #scams | #education | #technology | #infosec

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Scammers have been around for millennia, but for whatever reason it seems like they just keep getting better and better at finding ways to take our money. And let’s face it, they can be very convincing.

THV11 Verify viewer Doris reached out to us, explaining how she ordered a patio set online from a website claiming to be Home Depot. She wanted to know if she’d fallen victim to a scam.

“I saw on an advertisement on Facebook with the Home Depot logo and it said a 5-piece patio set. Regular $898, 93% off, which would cost $59.98 with no shipping and handling. I thought well, if it was Home Depot’s logo, it was okay. But then I got kind of suspicious,” Doris, a scam victim, said.

When Doris checked her bank statement, she found this charge from a foreign company for $59.98– the same amount that patio set she thought she was buying from Home Depot was supposed to cost.

When she saw that charge and realized that it was not Home Depot, she came to the conclusion that she probably got scammed.

“I was like uh oh, I think I been got,” Doris said.

Unfortunately, we can verify – this was a scam.

“It sounds like she has reached what we call a look alike website and it does sound like a scam,” Cara Carlin with the Better Business Bureau Serving Arkansas, said.

Carlin said there are a lot of these websites online right now. She suggests taking a very close look at the domain you’re using.

“That www. address, especially if you have clicked on to the website from an online advertisement or a text or an email. So for example, rather than Walmart.com you could be at Walmart.co.“

Fortunately, there’s a list of steps you can follow if you paid someone you think is a scammer. 

If you paid with a credit or debit card, the Federal Trade Commission suggests you contact the company or bank that issued the card to let them know there was a fraudulent charge. You can then ask them to reverse the transaction and refund you your money.

If you have something you’d like Verified, let us help. Email us – verify@thv11.com or reach out on social media.