Scam Alert: Shopping this holiday season? Look out for some of these social media ad scams

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WHEC)— We have a Consumer Alert for you as we head into the holiday season.

The Better Business Bureau is warning you to be extra careful when buying anything from social media ads. BBB officials say their scam tracker has received "thousands" of complaints about misleading ads on Facebook and Instagram.

We know online rip-offs have spiked during the pandemic.

In 2020 alone, online purchase scams were the most reported complaint to the group, the year also had the most fraud victims.

WHAT TO DO

The BBB has a list of red flags for shoppers. You can check for factors like:

• Spelling and grammar errors, poor quality images on the fake ad, and prices so low you know they just can’t be real.
• You should be on the lookout for products that claim to support a charity.
• Name brand items are fakes
• Engaging ads with poor customer service.

You can also check out the BBB’s scam tracker.