Fraud Prevention

1 in 3 Americans Hit by Online Shopping Scams: How to Spot and Avoid Them If you shop online, you’ve probably seen a deal that seemed too good to pass up—a designer handbag for $30, a new smartphone at half the retail price, or a “limited time” flash sale from a brand you’ve never heard of. According to new data from the Pew Research Center, roughly one out of every three U.S. adults has fallen for a scam like that, or at least had one attempted on them. ...

How to Spot Fake Prom Dress Websites: BBB Warning and Safety Tips Prom season is here, and across the Hudson Valley and beyond, shoppers are hunting for the perfect dress. Unfortunately, scammers are also busy. The Better Business Bureau recently issued an alert for Hudson Valley shoppers warning about fake prom dress websites that take money and never deliver. ...

How to Spot a Fake Prom Dress Website: BBB Warning for Shoppers Prom season is ramping up, and with it comes a predictable spike in scam websites pretending to sell formal dresses. The Better Business Bureau recently issued an alert for Hudson Valley shoppers, but the problem isn’t limited to that region. Fake prom dress sites appear every spring across the country, often using stolen images and offering prices that don’t match reality. Here’s what to look for so you don’t lose money—or your personal information. ...

Online Shopping Scams Are Everywhere: How to Protect Yourself What Happened On May 12, 2026, authorities in Belarus recorded 400 online shopping scam attempts in a single day, according to a report by belsat.eu. That number likely represents only a fraction of the total—many scams go unreported because victims are embarrassed or unsure where to file a complaint. ...

When 400 Scam Attempts Hit in One Day: What Online Shoppers Need to Know Last month, cybersecurity monitors in Belarus recorded a single day where online shoppers faced roughly 400 scam attempts, according to a report from Belsat.eu. While this spike happened in Eastern Europe, the tactics behind these attempts are not confined to any one region. Online shopping scams follow the same playbook everywhere. Understanding that playbook is the best way to avoid losing money or personal information. ...

Prom Dress Season Brings Fake Websites: How to Spot and Avoid Online Dress Scams With prom season underway, families and teens are searching online for the perfect dress. But alongside legitimate retailers, scammers are setting up websites that look real but exist only to take your money. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) recently issued an alert for shoppers in the Hudson Valley region, warning of fake prom dress websites that have stolen images, unrealistically low prices, and no intention of delivering anything. ...

How to Spot Fake Prom Dress Websites: BBB Warning and Tips Prom season is around the corner, and for many families in the Hudson Valley that means searching online for the perfect dress. But the Better Business Bureau (BBB) has issued a local alert about scam websites that imitate legitimate prom dress retailers. These sites take payments and disappear—leaving shoppers with no dress and no refund. ...

1 in 3 Americans Has Been Hit by an Online Shopping Scam – Here’s What to Watch For If you’ve ever clicked a too-good-to-be-true ad on social media or received a suspicious text about a delayed package, you’re not alone. New data from the Pew Research Center shows that roughly one in three U.S. adults — 32 percent — say they have experienced an online shopping scam. That figure is a reminder that fraud isn’t something that only happens to careless shoppers; it’s widespread enough that most of us know someone it has affected. ...

1 in 3 Americans Has Been Scammed While Shopping Online — Are You Next? A new survey from the Pew Research Center, released in November 2025, puts a number on something many of us have suspected: online shopping scams are not rare. According to the data, about 31 percent of U.S. adults say they have personally experienced an online shopping scam. That’s nearly one in three people. ...

How to Spot Fake Prom Dress Websites: A Scam Alert for Online Shoppers If you’ve started shopping for prom or another formal event, you’ve probably noticed dozens of websites offering dresses at prices that look too good to be true. Recently, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) issued a specific alert about fake prom dress websites targeting shoppers in New York’s Hudson Valley. But this kind of scam isn’t limited to one region. As prom season heats up across the country, fraudulent clothing sites tend to multiply. Here’s what happened, why it matters, and how you can protect yourself—or your money—if you stumble into one of these traps. ...