Bargain hunters will undoubtedly be flocking to the Internet for holiday sales this year, and overall, online sales are again expected to increase this season as more shoppers forego the trip to the store and tick off the names on their list from the comfort of their homes.For the 2008 holiday season, Barclays Capital forecasts that Internet sales will increase by a solid 8 percent over last year, greatly outpacing a meager 1 percent growth in holiday sales expected at brick-and-mortar stores. And eMarketer.com predicts a 10 percent increase in online holiday sales over last year.
But the Better Business Bureau warned that scammers will again be setting up shop online this year, using low prices to entice shoppers but ultimately not delivering the goods.
"Many consumers have come to feel extremely comfortable shopping online as part of their everyday lives and simply don't consider the increased threat of identity theft or unscrupulous retailers during the holiday season," Paula Fleming, vice president of communications and marketing with the BBB, said in a news release. "While the online environment has become a thriving, trusted marketplace, e-commerce has also opened a door and created a ripe environment for scammers to set up shop online and start ripping people off."
Internet scams aren't limited to the U.S. The BBB of Western Ontario recently reported an online scam operating through the Web site superbargainland.com. BBB received complaints from consumers across the U.S. and Canada who paid for game consoles such as Playstation3s, Wiis, and Xboxes, but never received the items. The site required shoppers to pay via MoneyGram, a money wire service, and that meant the money consumers paid was impossible to recover.
Will
Barclays Capital , Better Business Bureau
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