ORLANDO, Fla — As we get set to celebrate 250 years of America’s independence, scammers are looking to exploit the holiday to rip people off. The Better Business Bureau has seen an uptick in scams targeting 4th of July celebrations.
Even before fireworks light up the sky and Americans break out the grills scammers are preying on our patriotism.
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“These shady sites are tugging at our patriotic strings. They’re claiming that they’re veteran-owned businesses, they’re made in the USA,” said Gerry Mendiburt, Director of Investigations with the Better Business Bureau in central Florida.
Mendiburt told Action 9 the number of Scam Tracker complaints they’ve received related to the 4th of July skyrocketed in recent weeks. Many of the complaints are about items advertised for sale online like American flags, 250th anniversary banners and other patriotic gear proudly displaying the red, white, and blue.
Mendiburt said, “What we’ve discovered is that many of the sites are registered overseas and mostly in China.”
In some cases, consumers report the merchandise never arriving at all. In other cases, the merchandise advertised as made in the USA or handmade, turns out to not be what was expected. Consumers claim it’s low quality and, in some cases, the shipping information shows it was came from China.
As you might expect, a lot of the ads for these products popped up on social media or during web browser searches.
As we get closer to the holiday, the BBB is also warning about fake event tickets for Independence Day celebrations or concerts.
Using a credit card can give you some protection if it turns out to be a scam, but it’s also important to research companies and try to buy from a reputable business.
“Celebrating our nation’s 250th birthday is exciting and fun we just don’t want consumers to become victimized by, you know, some shady actors,” Mendiburt said.
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