SUMMER SHOPPING ONLINE - English

July 2021

    SUMMER SHOPPING
        ONLINE
          by Alvaro Puig, Consumer Education Specialist, FTC
Ahh, summer. Ten sweet yet short weeks to enjoy some of your
favorite traditions. Maybe it’s sipping an ice-cold drink on the
porch, spending a weekend at the beach, or cooling off with
the kids at the pool. Now that you think about it, you might
decide to treat yourself to a new porch swing or a new
beach umbrella. Or suddenly realize that you
need to buy more goggles because the kids lost
theirs…again. Before you start filling up your
online shopping cart, we’ve got some tips
you’ll want to check out (no pun intended!).

Do some comparison-shopping.
Before you buy online, use the power of the internet to
compare prices on different websites. We’ve got tips about
using comparison-shopping sites.

Think critically about online reviews.
Reading other people’s opinions about a product can help
you make a decision. But some reviews are downright fake or
not completely honest. You may not know when a reviewer
got something — like a free product — in exchange for the
review. Learn more about how to evaluate online reviews.

Pay attention to the details.
Before you buy something online, know when it’ll ship and
what to do if you want to return it. Read up on delivery,
return, and refund policies.

Pay with a credit card if you can.
That way, if you get billed twice for the same item, or you
get billed for something you never got, you can dispute it.
Learn more about the benefits of paying with a credit card.

Find out what personal information shopping apps collect.
Shopping apps might give you exclusive deals or rewards
points. But they might also take your personal information,
like your name, phone number, and email. And they might
use your device’s location. Here’s what to know if you’re
using a shopping app.

RENTAL CAR
SCAMS
by Emily Wu, Attorney,
Division of Consumer and Business Education, FTC

The weather is getting warmer, and you might be itching to travel again. The mountains, the
beach, and the trails are calling you — and everyone else. At least that’s what it feels like when you
start looking into renting a car. With rental car availability at an all-time low, prices are sky high.
So, if you suddenly find an available car at a cheap price, you might be dealing with scammers
looking to cash in on the rental car shortage.

Scammers are posing as rental car companies, setting up their own websites, and advertising fake
customer service phone numbers, all to convince travelers they’re legit. Then, they’re asking people
to pre-pay for the rental — with a gift card or prepaid debit card. To avoid rental car scammers
driving off with your money:

• Research the rental car company by searching for the name of the
  company and words like “scam,” “complaint,” or “review” to check if other
  people have had a bad experience.

• Verify deals with the company directly. If you need customer support,
  look for contact info on the company’s official website. Don’t use a search
  engine result. Scammers can pay to place sponsored ads in search results,
  so they show up at the top or in the sponsored ad section.

• Pay with a credit card if possible, and never pay with a gift card or prepaid
  debit card. You can dispute credit card charges, but gift cards and prepaid
  debit cards can disappear like cash. Once you give the number and PIN to
  a scammer, the money is gone.

Before you rush to book that miraculously available rental car, take a beat and read up about
things you should consider when renting a car.

FAMILY
EMERGENCY
SCAMS
by Lisa Lake, Consumer Education Specialist, FTC

Instead of telling you a ghost story around a summer campfire, we have an all-too familiar tale to share:
Myra’s grandson, Jon, is in Mexico for the summer. They video chat every week. One day, Myra gets a call
from someone who says he’s Max, a friend of Jon’s: “He was arrested last night and needs $500 for bail.”
Max says the police took Jon’s passport, so he’ll need another $700 to get it back. He says not to tell Jon’s
parents or anyone else because Jon is embarrassed.

Myra is scared at first — but she’s heard a thing or two that makes her suspicious. So she thanks “Max”
for his concern, hangs up, and calls Jon right away. Jon, it turns out, is on his way to class, not in jail. And
“Max” is nothing but a scammer.

Family emergency scams like this try to scare people into sending money to help a loved one in trouble.
The fraud can play out in many ways, but the hustle is the same: the caller lies, tries to scare you, and
rushes you to pay so you don’t have time to think twice or check things out before you send money. And
once you do that, you’ll never get it back.

To avoid family emergency scams:
 • Resist the urge to act immediately — no matter how dramatic the story is.
 • Call or message your loved one who (supposedly) contacted you. Even
   though the caller says not to. But use a number you know is right, not one the
   caller gives you.
 • Never send cash, gift cards, cryptocurrency, or money transfers. Once the
   scammer gets the money, it’s gone!

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) is the state’s clearinghouse for
consumer complaints, protection, and information. Contact the department’s consumer protection and
information hotline by calling 1-800-HELP-FLA (435-7352) or, for Spanish speakers, 1-800-FL-AYUDA
(352-9832). File a complaint or find more information on scams online at FloridaConsumerHelp.com.

CONSUMER PROTECTION
  SPEAKER REQUEST
Does your organization need a guest speaker for its next event or meeting?

The Consumer Services outreach team is available to share information on scams and frauds
that bilk people out of millions of dollars annually. At your next event or meeting, let one of our
representatives educate your group on the latest consumer issues. We’re here for you and we’re
FREE.

We believe that an educated consumer is the best protection against fraud and deception. Visit our
Consumer Protection Speaker Request page for more information and to request that a consumer
protection representative present at your next virtual or in-person meeting.

Information submitted to the department is a public record unless exempted by Florida law. You
may also contact our consumer assistance team at 1-800-HELP-FLA (1-800-435-7352), 1-800-FL-
AYUDA (1-800-352-9832) en Español, or by sending correspondence to: Consumer Services
Outreach, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, 2005 Apalachee Parkway,
Tallahassee, FL 32399.

CELEBRATE NATIONAL
     GRILLING MONTH BY
     STAYING FOOD SAFE
This summer remember the most important grill master tool of all—a food
thermometer! Ensure a safe and healthy BBQ for your friends and family
by cooking foods thoroughly to their safe temperatures.

Visit the Division of Food Safety’s new Consumer Resources and Outreach
website to learn safe internal temperatures, grill safety, and more!

ABOUT THE FDACS DIVISION OF
     CONSUMER SERVICES
FDACS is Florida’s state consumer protection agency responsible for regulating charities and
handling consumer complaints. FDACS handles more than 400,000 consumer complaints and
inquiries, oversees more than 500,000 regulated devices, entities, and products like gas pumps
and grocery scales, performs over 61,000 lab analyses on products like gasoline and brake flu-
id, performs nearly 9,000 fair ride inspections, and returned over $2.8 million to consumers
through mediations with businesses.

The Division of Food Safety monitors food from the point          The Consumer Product Safety Commission provides
of manufacturing and distribution through wholesale and            consumer product recall information as part of the
retail sales to ensure the public of safe, wholesome and        agency’s mission to protect consumers and families from
           properly represented food products.                                    hazardous products.
   CLICK THE ICON ABOVE TO SEE THE LATEST RECALLS,                 CLICK THE ICON ABOVE TO SEE THE LATEST RECALLS,
       MARKET WITHDRAWALS, & SAFETY ALERTS.                            MARKET WITHDRAWALS, & SAFETY ALERTS.
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is the state’s clearinghouse for consumer complaints,
protection and information. Consumers who would like information about filing a complaint against a business or
who believe fraud has taken place can visit us online at FloridaConsumerHelp.com or contact the department’s
consumer protection and information hotline by calling 1-800-HELP-FLA (435-7352) or 1-800-FL-AYUDA (352-9832)
for Spanish speakers.

Follow us on Twitter - @FDACS and @NikkiFriedFL                                        FDACS-P-00030 Rev. 7/2021