Officials share safe ways to shop online as millions participate in Cyber Monday

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – It’s a Monday many people actually look forward to–taking advantage of super deals and doing their shopping from the comforts of their home.

“There’s less work being done today than shopping probably,” said Better Business Bureau CEO Kelvin Collins.

Skipping out on the Black Friday madness and shopping online is becoming increasingly popular with more than 75 million people world wide expected to take advantage of sales on the web.

“You’ve got Amazon, you’ve got retailers like Walmart who have online shopping where you can have it delivered to the store,” Lt. Fred Carmical with the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office told 41NBC.

But shopping online comes with the risk of being scammed according to officials with both the Better Business Bureau and Bibb County Sheriff’s Office. Better Business Bureau President Kelvin Collins says it all depends on where you shop.

“We start receiving those calls after Christmas when the product that they ordered never came in or the credit card that they put in has been hit several more times,” he explained.

That’s why Lt. Fred Carmical says the best way to avoid getting scammed is using common sense before you click.

“If it looks weird to you, don’t do it, don’t use it go somewhere else or find another deal somewhere else or see if there’s anything else or check multiple sources for that same deal,” he said.

Collins says using a credit card instead of debit is also the safest way to cyber shop.

“With a credit card you do have protections that you don’t have when you pay with other forms. When you use a credit card, they don’t have that direct pipeline into your account,” he went on.

The deals are only a few clicks away but so is the risk of getting duped and Officials want you to ‘click’ with caution.

Lt. Carmical says with package theft on the rise nationwide, it’s also important to consider what happens to your items after you’ve made the purchase. He recommends having a neighbor pick them up, shipping them to your job if allowed or shipping them to a nearby store location to pick them up.

Collins says also make sure the website you’re clicking on is the site you actually wanted to go to. Many times scammers will make spoof sites to trick users into thinking they’re on a company’s real website.