Consumers who let down their guard during the hectic holiday season can easily fall prey to scammers poised to pounce on careless or overburdened shoppers, Better Business Bureau of Southern Arizona warns.

BBB has identified five common scams that consumers should watch out for during the holidays, whether they’re shopping online, juggling packages at the mall or simply reading their email.

“While the rest of us are checking off items on our gift lists, scammers are blowing the dust off of their tried and true holiday scams,” said Kim States, BBB President. “By being vigilant, consumers can help turn holiday scams into ghosts of Christmases past.”

1. Online shopping scams: Everyone loves a great deal, but some websites offer electronics or luxury goods at prices that are too good to be true. Every holiday season, BBB hears from holiday shoppers who paid for a “great deal” online, but received little or nothing in return.

BBB advice: Always look for the BBB logo when shopping online and click on it to confirm that it is legitimate. If you’re shopping on sites that aren’t household names, check out their BBB Business Reviews at www.tucson.bbb.org. Confirm that the company has a physical address and telephone number.

2. Nabbing the season’s hottest toys and gadgets online: When stores sell out, you may find the items online at sites like Craigslist or eBay— but for a much steeper price.  Some sellers will take your money and run, leaving you without the gift or money to buy it elsewhere.

BBB Advice: If you shop Craigslist, look for local sellers and conduct transactions in person. Bring a friend if you’re uncomfortable meeting the seller alone. Never wire money as payment. If you’re shopping on auctions like eBay, research sellers extensively and don’t buy if the deal sounds too good to be true.

3. Identity theft at the mall: While you’re struggling with bags of presents, identity thieves may see an opportunity to steal your wallet or look over your shoulder to copy your debit or credit card numbers.

BBB Advice: Don’t let yourself get bogged down in purchases or lose track of your wallet. Know where your credit and debit cards are at all times and cover the keypad when entering your pin number while purchasing items or getting money from an ATM. Make sure you put your card back in your wallet after each purchase.

4. Bogus charitable pleas: The holidays are a time of giving, and that creates an opportunity for scammers to solicit donations to line their own pockets. Beware of solicitations from charities that don’t necessarily deliver on their promises or are ill-equipped to carry through on their plans. Resist demands for on-the-spot donations.

BBB Advice: Always research charities with BBB before you give to see if the charity meets BBB’s 20 Standards for Charity Accountability. Up-to-date reports on local and national charities are available at www.bbb.org/charity.

5. Phishing emails: Phishing emails are a common way for hackers to get at your personal information or break into your computer. Around the holidays, beware of e-cards and messages pretending to be from companies like UPS or Fedex with links to package tracking information.

BBB Advice: Don’t click on any links or open any attachments to emails until you have confirmed that they are not malicious. Email addresses that don’t match up, typos and grammatical mistakes are common red flags of a malicious phishing email. Also beware of unsolicited emails from companies with which you have no association. Make sure you have current antivirus software and that all security patches have been installed on the computer.

For more advice on being a savvy consumer this holiday season or to find BBB Business Reviews of businesses or charities, call (520)888-5353 or visit www.tucson.bbb.org.

Every holiday season many families are looking for ways to save money without sacrificing any of their holiday cheer. Better Business Bureau of Southern Arizona is providing advice on how consumers can cut spending and reduce household costs in their everyday lives without compromising the fun of the holiday season.

Following are six ways BBB is advising consumers to save money this holiday season:

Create a Budget and Stick to It

Holiday expenses can add up quickly, and one way to keep the financial damage to a minimum is to create a budget and then track spending. A budget should include the amount the family plans to spend on food, travel, incidentals and even a price limit for each person on the gift list. Creating a budget can be harder than sticking to one, but becoming more conscious of holiday spending habits is an absolute must and greatly diminishes the chances of an unhappy New Year.

Trim Energy Consumption

There are many ways to save money by cutting down on energy costs. During the energy crisis of the late seventies, President Carter famously donned a sweater and asked the public to turn down their thermostats. That advice rings true today, but it doesn’t mean the family has to suffer. BBB recommends turning the thermostat down only a few degrees when the family is home, and turning it down even more when at work or sleeping. Energy-conscious consumers can also reduce costs by driving less and keeping close to home for the holidays, as well as leaving outdoor Christmas lights on for only a few hours every night.

Trim the Gift-giving List

When times are tight, whittling down the shopping list can save a lot of money. Aside from cutting the list down to only the closest of friends and family, some options include only giving gifts to children, setting generally accepted limits on what family and friends can spend and drawing names for gifts among family. Unfettered giving is fun and spontaneous, but the credit card bill that will come in January can make even the most cheerful of givers grumpy in the New Year.

Do it Yourself

Not only are craft projects a great way to get the family working together, making decorations and even gifts is a great way to save money. There are many Web sites and books dedicated to holiday craft projects. For those who are crafty in the kitchen, holiday goodies such as baked goods and candies are also a much appreciated and inexpensive gift.

Forego the Little Things

When it comes to the holidays, the little things add up. Many of these little things can actually be pared down in leaner times. This includes foregoing season’s greetings cards, relying on last year’s decorations and using alternative wrapping paper—such as the Sunday comics or even the retailer’s shopping bag.

Be a Savvy Consumer

There will no doubt be a number of pre-season sales this year as retail stores compete for shoppers’ dollars in the lean months leading up to celebrations. Not only does this mean savings at the mall, but consumers can also search online retailers for deals and bargains. Before doing business with any online retailer though, BBB advises shoppers to check the company out with BBB first.

With seasonal customers comes an increase in complaints, and the simple fact is that some businesses drive profits right back out the door because they do not have an effective complaint handling system.

Industry estimates say that generally businesses receive complaints from only about five percent of dissatisfied customers. About 95 percent of customers simply will not complain, but more importantly, about 90 percent of this group will never use the business again. Equally alarming for businesses is that typical dissatisfied customers will mention the problem to about eight acquaintances.

“Businesses operating in tough markets with small margins are constantly searching for points of competitive advantage and effective complaint handling can be a key differentiator” said Kim States, BBB President. “A complaint offers a superb opportunity to transform an unhappy customer into a loyal customer, one who may even end up helping you win new business.”

Better Business Bureau of Southern Arizona recommends businesses review customer relations policies on a regular basis, and advises that complaint handling processes must make it easy for customers to complain and empower employees to deal with complaints promptly. The following procedures are essential:

Documenting – The date the problem occurred, a description of the problem, and any other pertinent information should be recorded.

Investigating – Along with information from the customer, gather more facts by researching in-house records, requesting receipts and inspecting the product.

Acknowledging – Let the customer know that the matter is receiving attention and provide a realistic estimate for how long it will take to resolve the issue.

Formulating a Solution – Important criteria to consider include warranty obligations; customer expectations; cost versus benefit of alternative solutions; fairness of your decision; and your ability to carry out the solution.

Responding – Any response should be clear, appropriate and specific to the customer’s complaint. Avoid form letters and technical jargon. Explaining a decision can preserve a customer’s goodwill, even if a different result was desired.

Following-up – Contact the customer following your response to verify whether or not the matter has been resolved satisfactorily. If the customer is unhappy, you can refer the matter for third party dispute resolution (to BBB for example).