Southwest Missouri woman loses money in fake website scam

A woman from Fairview, Missouri recently lost nearly $100 when she tried to purchase a chainsaw online.

The reason?

She had attempted to make a purchase from a fake website that looked almost, but not exactly, like the real thing.

Stephanie Garland of the Better Business Bureau says it’s easy to be fooled.

“If people are kind of changing the spelling by a letter or two or adding an extra period, it’s a different website,” she says.

“Be careful of links in emails and sure you’re looking for contact information and shop policies. We all need to look out how we contact these people if something goes wrong.”

Garland says fake websites are one of the most common ways scammers have of ripping you off. If you have questions, contact the Better Business Bureau at bbb.org.