Bureau of Consumer Protection 2017 Holiday Release Packet
Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection sent this bulletin at 11/14/2017 05:00 AM CST
All of our holiday shopping and
scam news releases, all in one place.
Each year the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection's (DATCP) Bureau of Consumer Protection spreads out a series of releases on holiday-related issues over the course of November and December. To better suit the needs of our media partners, this year's releases are all linked to this email and are ready for immediate publication.
Each release is listed below with a link for review on the DATCP website and a link to download a PDF version.
Charity Scams
In the spirit of the season, many consumers give generously to charities over the holidays. But while they are looking to share, scammers are looking to steal through fake charities with high-pressure pitches.
Gift Card Shopping and Scams
Shoppers and gift recipients alike love gift cards for their convenience and ease of purchase and use. As with anything else where there is an exchange of money, however, there are some dos, don’ts and potential scam traps to consider when it comes to gift cards.
Holiday Promotions
In recent years, many major retailers have started spreading their one-day Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales into a week-long shopping extravaganza. Each of these promotions will have its own terms and conditions, including limited item inventories, rebate requirements and specific promotion dates and times. How does a shopper keep track of all of the details for these sales?
Layaway
Layaway is a popular option for consumers looking to hold the hottest gifts at the store without paying the full price upfront. The process for layaway varies from store to store, however, with different fees and conditions to consider.
Online Shopping
Holiday sales are expected to increase for the ninth year in a row in 2017, and online sales will continue to drive much of the spending (National Retail Federation). Using smartphones, smartwatches, tablets and laptop computers, consumers can tackle an entire shopping list from anywhere they can get an internet connection. But with this convenience comes a need to protect your personal and financial information when shopping online.
Returns / Exchanges
Gift shopping is a gamble. Despite all of your best efforts, your “perfect gift” may end up back on the store shelf hours after the package is unwrapped. Given that even the best presents sometimes get returned or exchanged, planning ahead can be a great help to a gift recipient.
Shipping Scams
More and more consumers are shopping for the holidays online and are accustomed to the influx of purchase and delivery confirmation emails. This added email traffic creates a scenario where scammers can sneak malware-laden spam emails into consumers’ accounts masked as shipping or delivery alerts.
Toy Safety
We consider a number of factors when we shop for a gift for children – what’s popular, what they are excited about, what they need – but we may not always think about the most important factor: safety. Even the most popular toy may not be appropriate for the intended child or safe for other children in the home.
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For questions or interview requests on these topics or more, please contact: Jerad Albracht, Senior Communications Specialist, at 608-224-5007 or via email: jerad.albracht@wisconsin.gov. Connect with us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/wiconsumer or Twitter: @wiconsumer. |
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