Looking for a personalized Christmas gift? Beware of social media ads

Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes

KEY TAKEAWAYS

The Better Business Bureau warns against misleading social media ads for personalized gifts.
Reports indicate discrepancies between ordered and received products, with poor customer service.
To avoid scams, research companies, verify website security, and use credit cards.

SALT LAKE CITY — A consumer watchdog group is warning online holiday shoppers about misleading social media ads for personalized gifts.

The Better Business Bureau issued a "scam alert," saying it has received numerous reports from people whose purchases were far different from what they ordered. Ads promoting customized items frequently appear on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.

TikTok is especially notable for creating a stir in southern Utah earlier this summer after several St. George residents had their bank account information stolen after purchasing items through TikTok Shop.

How the scam works

While scrolling through social media, ads will come up promoting customized products such as clothing decorated with a person's name, a keychain with a favorite pet's face or a paint-by-numbers kit made from a personal photograph. Clicking on a link to a company website that appears legitimate leads to placement of an order.

But when the product arrives, (if it arrives) is not of the expected quality. The personalization might contain errors or the item may differ completely from the website's description.

The contact for customer service either does not respond or promises to fix the problem but never does. Ultimately, you're stuck with the product or there's no way to get your money back.

How to avoid social media ad scams, per the BBB:

Research the company before making a purchase. A real business should have valid contact information (i.e., a working phone number and customer service email address). If the business has a physical address, research it on Google or Apple Maps. Check for a company profile at BBB.org.
Be skeptical of too-good-to-be-true offers. Ads promising extreme discounts, free products or limited-time offers may be bait to lure you into a scam.
Inspect the ad and website. Look for red flags. Poor grammar, blurry images, or generic product descriptions can indicate a scam. You should also verify the URL. Scammers often create fake websites with slightly misspelled domain names. Also, check for HTTPS. Ensure the website URL starts with "https://" for secure transactions.
Look up reviews on other websites. Read as many reviews as possible from websites besides the company selling the product. Keep a close eye out for customer complaints. Search the business name in a trusted search engine to see if others have reported the business as fraudulent.
Beware of sponsored ads. Just because an ad is labeled "sponsored" doesn't mean it's legitimate. Social media platforms don't always verify the authenticity of advertisers.
When you order online, pay with a credit card rather than a debit card because it's easier to dispute fraudulent charges and there is a better chance of getting a refund.

You can also read this article here to learn more about the differing faces of fraud in an online shopping environment.

The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.