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Keeping
Reason in
the Season
Avoiding
the “hot gift” scamster
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Memories
of Christmas’s past: Well-intentioned moms wrestling for
the only remaining Cabbage Patch kid, fathers leap-frogging mannequins
for the precious last beanie baby. Weird how emotion can cloud
reason and judgment.
The
search for that sought after gift can sometimes even impair the
best of judgment. And unfortunately there are some scamsters who
are out to capitalize on this as people become willing to pay
double the price or more for some a hot item in short supply.
Last years’ hot toy was the Sony PlayStation 2 (PS2), which
saw eager buyers plunk down as much as $700 U.S., (well above
the $299 U.S. suggested list price), to get the scarce gaming
consoles.
Unfortunately
some of sellers of the gaming stations weren’t exactly playing
by the rules! In fact they didn’t have the games to sell,
nor any intention of delivering them even if they did. It was
a holiday scam. RCMP eventually busted a 20 year old New Brunswick
resident trying to flee the country, with operating the scam through
the web sites ps2storeusa.com and ps2storecanada.com (which were
later shut down). The fraudster was taking credit card numbers
with the unfilled promise of delivering the hot gaming consoles.
As
the last shopping days of this year approach and two new gaming
consoles, along with toys and memorabilia related to popular books
and movies such as Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings get scooped
up, there will inevitably spring up sites or vendors on auction
sites that promise to deliver this seasons’ hot items. What
can you do to guard yourself against this? A few points to keep
in mind:
- If
the major stores are completely out of them chances are that
few, if any individuals, will have many to sell. If it is that
great an item your family member, friend or whoever you are
buying it for is also likely to have a birthday in the coming
year. A truly fantastic item is bound to still be appreciated
then.
- Be
leery of on-line stores you’re not familiar with that are
offering these products. As was the case last year, some scamsters
have very professional and impressive looking web sites that
are merely a front to relieve you of your money.
- If
you have doubt about the vendor, check with the Better
Business Bureau (BBB) to see if they have had any complaints
about the questionable site or vendor. Last year the bogus offer
stung so many people in both Canada and the U.S., that the BBB
was prompted to issue an international warning. However you
may be stung before a news release goes out, so best to check
it out first.
- Keep
in mind that sites or individuals selling above the suggested
list price are trying to capitalize on the short supply and
high demand. Sony, for example, got caught without enough of
some key parts to manufacture ample supply of PS2’s in
time for the 2000 holiday season. The skeptic in me believes
that companies sometimes hold back on supplies to help fuel
that demand frenzy. Remember that with hot items supply eventually
catches up with demand, (PS2’s are still popular, but in
much better supply this Christmas), meaning the price will start
to come down.
- Always
check to see if a web site has a secure commerce logo for taking
transactions. In addition, if you are using a credit card check
with your card company to see if that merchant is even authorized
to use that brand of card.
- Most
importantly, remember that the joy of a Christmas (or any holiday)
or the love of the person you are giving to, will not depend
on that “one gift” that you are seeking. Chances are
that years’ from now they won’t even remember that
season’s fad item, but still remember the time they spent
with you.
If you’ve been stung by a scamster or an unscrupulous business,
let others know at our Consumer
Posting Board.
For
more on shopping on-line, see “Which
Will Crash Sooner? Your Computer or Your Cash? A guide to on-line
shopping.”
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