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Social Media Scams To Watch For This Holiday Season

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Don't get fooled this holiday season.

Online shoppers beware: scammers are all over social media hoping you click on their ads and offers.

John Simpson, of Consumer Watchdogs, is warning consumers if you come across ads promising an impossible deal, remember, it probably isn't real.

"If it's too good to be true, it probably is too good to be true," he said.

John Rushinko clicked on an advertisement for free vitamins all he had to do was pay for shipping. The next month, he says the company sent him another shipment and charged him $90.

"Nothing is free, you know?" he warned. "And if it is, as soon as they ask you for a credit card, it is no longer free."

Simpson advises shoppers never to give personal or credit card information unless it's a website you are familiar with and, he says, do a little research.

Social media scams can advertise fake merchandise, coupons and giveaways. But Simpson's advice remains the same: do not click on something you're not sure about.

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