Holiday shopping scams hit unsuspecting consumers

Unfortunately, the Christmas season is a time for scams aimed at consumers.

That’s from Tim Maniscalo, president and CEO of the Central Indiana Better Business Bureau.

Maniscalo warns about a common scam that they are seeing now called the Secret Sisters Gift Exchange scam.

The social media scam encourages you to send a present and says you will receive 36 back in return. However, the scammers take your gift and send you nothing. Maniscalo says this is basically just a pyramid scheme.

Maniscalo warns about possible dangers from what he called pop-up stores — places that open up in an empty storefront just for the holiday season. While many are legitimate, others are not.

Even the legitimate pop up stores give reason to be wary, he said. Most close by January 1st causing problems if you need to exchange or return a gift item. He suggested checking to see if they have a central corporate office you can contact if needed.

You can find details on some of the current scams hitting our area on the Better Business Bureau Website at BBB.org