Page 10 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, NOVEmbEr 11, 2022 BBB Scam Alert: Looking for this season’s hot toy? Beware of scams! E very year, there are always a few “must-have” toys on most kids’ holiday wish lists. The hot toy sells out fast and becomes expensive and hard to find. On top of that, parents worry about getting their deliveries on time. In 2022, according to Amazon (a Better Business Bureau [BBB] Accredited Business), these toys include Magic Mixies Magical Misting Crystal Ball, Snap Circuits, Breyer Horses Unicorn Magic Wooden Stable Playset, National Geographic Break Open 10 Geodes and everyone’s favorite, Squishmallows. Scammers are using the toys’ popularity to trick parents out of their money. How the scam works: You are looking for these toys, but they are sold out at every store you visit, so you decide to shop online. A quick search takes you to a page that miraculously has the toy in stock. The site might look professional and have original images of the product. It might even offer the product at discounted prices, claiming a “last-minute deal” or “flash sale.” Unfortunately, many such offers are fake. In many cases reported to BBB.org/ScamTracker, buyers thought they were ordering a high-quality toy. Instead, they received a cheap counterfeit version. In other cases, the products never shipped at all and the websites vanished. In either case, when the dissatisfied customers tried to follow up with the company, they found that the staff either didn’t respond or refused to provide a refund. For example, one shopper told BBB Scam Tracker that they fell for a phony deal on a popular plush toy: “This company offered hard-to-find Squishmallows. I purchased one for $40. The website claims there is a 30day hassle-free policy. I finally received the product and it is counterfeit. There are no tags on it and it is of very poor quality. I have tried to use the email provided to request a return label and it is not a real email. They also have a chat available on the website, but gee, guess what? No one is on the chat! I will be disputing the purchase on my credit card.” Another shopper found what seemed like a great deal on a Magic Mixies Cauldron, but the product never shipped. “I tried to reach out by email, website contact form and phone with no reBBB Scam Alert: Beware of health care cons during open enrollment I f you are adding or changing your Medicare or Healthcare.gov coverage during open enrollment, watch out for unsolicited calls claiming to “help” you find the best deal. Unfortunately, scammers see this open enrollment period as a chance to trick people out of money and personal information. Open enrollment runs through December 7 (Medicare) or December 15 (Healthcare.gov). How the scam works: Recently open enrollment began, and the Better Business Bureau (BBB) Scam Tracker has already gotten numerous reports of scam calls pretending to be from Medicare. In one report, the target received “an automated message from Medicare and how they could help me. When I followed the prompts, it led me to a nice-sounding male who claimed they were working for Medicare.” In another report, the person received calls claiming, “I requested information from them about Medicare on the Medicare website, which I NEVER did.” According to BBB Scam Tracker reports, these callers allege that if you stay on the line they can enroll you in a better plan than what you currently have; this new plan is cheaper, and you can keep all the same services; to get started, all you need to do is provide some personal information, such as your Medicare ID number. No matter how good the deal sounds and how convincing the caller seems, don’t do it! The call is a scam, and sharing personal information will open you up to identity theft. Tips to avoid open enrollment scams: Selecting a health insurance plan can be challenging and complex. Be on the lookout for common red flags. • Be wary of anyone who contacts you out of the blue. Healthcare.gov and Medicare provide legitimate help with figuring out which plan is right for you. These people – sometimes called Navigators or Assisters – are not allowed to charge for their support. If someone asks you for payment, it’s a scam. You will also need to contact them. They will not call you first. • Be wary of free gifts and “health screenings.” Keep a healthy level of skepticism any time a broker offers you free gifts or other special deals. Never sign up with a broker who offers you an expensive sign-up gift in exchange for providing your Medicare ID number or additional personally identifiable information. Other times, brokers offer free “health screenings” to weed out people who are less healthy. This technique is called “cherry picking” and is against Medicare rules. • Guard your government-issued numbers. Never offer your Medicare ID number, Social Security number, health plan info or banking info to anyone you don’t know. • Go directly to official websites. If you want to make changes to your health care plan, go directly to Medicare. gov, Healthcare.gov or your employer’s health insurance provider. Don’t click on links in suspicious messages. • Contact your employer directly. If you receive an unexpected email about benefits policies, ask your employer about it before you click on anything – to make sure it’s legitimate. For more information: If you are unsure whether a call or offer is from Medicare or you gave your personal information to someone claiming to be with Medicare, call 1-800-MEDICARE to report it. If you suspect fraud when signing up for Affordable Care Act coverage, go to HealthCare.gov or call the Health Insurance Marketplace Call Center at 1-800-318-2596. Get more tips from BBB on avoiding health care scams. If you’ve been the victim of a scam, please report it to BBB. org/ScamTracker. Sharing your experience can help others avoid falling victim to similar scams. sponse. The phone goes to a Gmail mailbox,” the consumer told BBB Scam Tracker. “I was able to resolve it via a PayPal dispute, however, the company falsely had a Priority Mail tracking.” Tips to avoid toy scams • Only buy toys from reputable stores and websites. The best way to avoid getting scammed when purchasing toys is to buy them directly from a seller you know and trust. • Don’t be fooled by extra-low prices. Unreasonably low prices are a red flag for a scam on many products. Avoid making a purchase from a retailer you aren’t familiar with just because the price sounds too good to be true – it probably is! • Research before you buy. If a company seems legitimate but you aren’t familiar with it, be extra careful with your personal information. Before offering up your name, address and credit card information, make sure the company has a working customer service number. For more info See BBB.org/onlineshopping for more online shopping tips. For more about avoiding scams this holiday season, check out BBB.org/ Holiday. If you’ve spotted a scam (whether or not you’ve lost money), report it to BBB Scam Tracker. Your report can help others avoid falling victim. If you see a questionable ad, report it to https://www.bbb. org/all/bbbi/adtruth so BBB can investigate. BBB Tip: avoiding job scams this holiday season R etailers and shippers traditionally hire seasonal workers to fulfill holiday shoppers’ demands, whether online or in person. These jobs are a great way to make extra money, sometimes with the possibility of turning into a long-term employment opportunity. However, they are sometimes not all that they seem. When looking for something part-time or to fill the gap until a better opportunity comes along, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) has some suggestions to make the seasonal job hunt successful. Being proactive in finding the right opportunity is key – but be careful when a job just seems too good to be true. Tips to avoid holiday job scams · Employers will never ask for payment upfront for a job. Beware of businesses that ask applicants to pay for job supplies, an application or a training fee. These expenses are the employer’s responsibility – and asking for money is a big red flag that something is wrong. · Be wary of job offers that don’t require an interview. Even during the peak hiring season, reputable companies prefer to talk to top job candidates before hiring them. If a job offer is presented without an interview (on the phone or in person) or is offered only via the internet, question the company’s hiring practices and do a little more digging. · Be wary of big money for small jobs. If an employer is promising outrageously good wages for what seems like simple tasks, such as reshipping packages, stuffing envelopes or answering phones, this is a red flag. These too-good-to-be-true offers are an attempt to steal your personal information from a fake job application and can cause problems for you for a long time. · Never work for a company before they hire you. A legitimate company will not ask potential applicants to complete complex projects before making an official offer. Before beginning any work, request an offer letter or written confirmation of what the job entails, including an official start date and compensation details. For more information Read more about employment scams and how to avoid them at https://www. bbb.org/article/tips/12261bbb-tip - employment - scams.
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