September 23, 2021
During 2020, online sales climbed well over $4 trillion and saw more than 2 billion online shoppers. Your parents are likely shopping for items online. While online shopping is convenient, there are risks. In 2020, the FTC took over 2.1 million fraud reports. Of those, $246 million were related to online shopping. That’s cases that were reported. There could be many others who were the victims of a scam while shopping and opted not to file a complaint. Elder care can help you to keep an eye on this.
Your parents like the convenience of shopping online, but you worry about them. How can they reduce the risk of being scammed?
Shopping at major retailers is one of the easiest ways to avoid being scammed. While you may want to support a store you’ve never heard of, it’s riskier. It’s not hard to buy a domain and start an online store. As people have found, many fake retailers exist, and they exist solely to get your money.
A store at the top of a search engine as a paid ad isn’t necessarily a safe store. People have been scammed by retailers that bought paid ads on Google. They figured it was a legitimate store, ordered a product, and never received anything or found their credit card was being used for other purchases.
What if your parents have to use a retailer they don’t know? They shouldn’t use a payment method where it’s hard to reverse the charge.
They should also read online reviews first and make sure that the store has a good reputation. Reading reviews on more than one website is best. Have your parents check the Better Business Bureau, Google Reviews, and any review sites that have information available.
Some negative reviews are expected, but your parents want to look for patterns. If they find one negative and many positives, it could be acceptable to order from that retailer. Your parents must remember that retailers may get friends and family to create fake online reviews, so they have to check reviews on several sites.
Have you thought about having elder care aides spending time with your parents? They may feel safer shopping online if a caregiver is there to help them choose a respected online retailer.
Elder care aides can help your parents shop online, clean their homes, and cook their meals. That’s just a few of the possible services. Learn more by calling and asking to talk to a specialist.
If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring Elder Care in Shadyside, PA, please contact the caring staff at In-Home Quality Care today. Serving the Greater Pittsburgh Area since 1990! Call412-421-5202
Sources:
https://www.statista.com/topics/
https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/
