BBB alerts Central Indiana shoppers after uptick in social‑media ad complaints
The Better Business Bureau Serving Central Indiana reports growing complaints about purchases made through social‑media ads, with some buyers getting nothing or low‑quality items, a BBB spokesperson told WRTV. The bureau urges shoppers to verify site URLs, check business records and use credit‑card disputes when orders fail to arrive.
The BBB Serving Central Indiana says it has seen an increase in complaints tied to social‑media advertising, according to spokesperson Trinity Rairdon. Consumers commonly click ads while scrolling and may order items such as shoes, grills or home tools, then receive either nothing or products of much lower quality. Rairdon recommends verifying website addresses because fraudulent sites can closely mimic legitimate ones, and she points shoppers to ICANN’s domain lookup and the BBB’s business search. If an order isn’t fulfilled, she advised filing a dispute with the card issuer.
The bureau offered several practical precautions for online shoppers. It recommends reading the fine print and return policies before buying, reviewing a site’s privacy policy (or treating its absence as a red flag), and searching a company name alongside terms like “complaints,” “reviews” and “scam.” Rairdon characterized shopping from an unfamiliar social‑media ad as risky and urged consumers to exercise ‘‘a ton of caution’’ before entering payment details.
BusinessIndy examines this development and its implications for Indiana businesses and communities using the linked sources.
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