Wisconsin Department of Consumer Protection Warns to be Careful of Scams While Black Friday Shopping

Monday, November 22nd, 2021 -- 10:01 AM

(Raymond Neupert, WRN) Be careful before you buy those gifts on Black Friday.

That's the message from state Consumer Protection. Director Michael Domke says you need to be aware of a store's guidelines on returns and gifting. "There are laws that require certain disclaimers in advertisements and those are typically buried in that fine print and in the fine print is where you're going to find the duration of the sale, whether there's any terms and conditions and return policies."

Domke says scammers are out looking to get your money by offering fake ads for hot items. "They're advertising either item that is typically out of stock, a really hot item for the season, and it's a fictitious website."

Domke says you should be very careful when clicking on coupons or other deals in your text messages or social media feeds. "They try to lure more information out of you. It may be the situation where once you click on it, as we mentioned earlier, the malware is going to suddenly infect the device that you're using and give them access to your personal or banking information."

As always, if a deal seems too good to be true, or if you're getting offers for hot or out-of-stock items, double-check that link before you click.

Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.