Personally, I have set my default home page to Google because so far, it’s the search engine on the internet with the most accurate and complete information, especially when it comes to directories of the nearest restaurants, the newest place in town or the latest gadgets in the market. Easy as it is, everyone who considers online shopping part of their daily routine should also keep in mind that if shopping online is easy, we can also be easily cheated and scammed in it. So what we need to do is to be informed on the things that should keep us safe from online predators so we don’t fall prey to them when we do our online shopping spree.

First thing I look for in a web page where I am buying is the padlock symbol which is normally found at the bottom right part of the internet site. You must also click on it and it should show you each and every information and facts concerning the seller. The particulars in the certificate and also the data posted on the seller’s profile should match. If they do not, go for another seller. Also, are you required to by the site to enter your confidential important info which includes bank account numbers, credit card or debit card numbers, date of birth and SSN? Make sure that before you do so, you must run an anti spyware program intended to void any phishing software from getting all these information and facts from you without you knowing it.

In terms of having the items you acquired delivered, according to a particular FTC rule that I have found on the net also, says that the seller should give you a certain time frame on when the goods you have bought will likely be delivered to you. In case he could not give you an actual time frame or date when the goods are going to be delivered, you may assume that within 30 days upon making the payment, you should receive the stuff you ordered. If not, the seller should give you a choice to get the payment back as a refund after you cancel the order you placed.

In case you are already in a situation where you think you have just been scammed or ripped off by a seller on a particular shopping website, you can check for the link that says “contact us” and you should find there the phone number, email address or the office location of the administration. Then you can get in touch with them to discuss what happened to the transaction you made through their website. If you don’t think they did enough to protect your interests as a consumer, then I strongly suggest that you get in touch with the Better Business Bureau – Office of the State Attorney General in your state or the particular state where the seller is or you can also go to the Federal Trade Commission and get a Consumer Complaint Form.

Keep in mind that we can always avoid getting scammed if only we know how to be on the look out for these predators in the net. It is our responsibility as buyers to become vigilant in almost everything we do, particularly on the internet where almost everything is available.

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A Jackson area woman was among those burned by companies selling acai berry diet pill supplements – the Better Business Bureau issues warning by Danielle Quisenberry of the Jackson Citizen Patriot – Monday February 09, 2009

A White Lake woman ordered in October what she thought was a free trial of an acai berry supplement touted as a weight-loss aid for $5.95 from an online retailer.

Eleven days later, the company, FX Supplements of Arlington, Texas, charged her credit card $79.95 for a monthly pill subscription she had no idea she authorized. “I didn’t see where it said any of that,” said Ricki Morrow, who lives in Lenawee County, just south of U.S. 12.

She is not the only one. The Better Business Bureau, flooded with complaints, is warning consumers to be skeptical of online advertisements that offer weight loss products containing acai berry. Acai berry has been praised on national TV programs for its high level of antioxidants and has been frequently Googled, according to a bureau press release.

“There are concerns about misleading sales and marketing practices,” said Tim Burns, public affairs director at the Better Business Bureau of Detroit and Eastern Michigan.

In order to receive a free trial, people have to enter credit card information to pay shipping and handling. If they do not cancel their subscription, for which they may or may not be aware they signed up, they are charged a monthly rate of as much as $85.90, the bureau reported.

If they do try to cancel their subscription, customers have a hard time contacting the companies, Burns said. Phones are busy and e-mail addresses do not work.

The bureau has fielded many complaints regarding both FX Supplements and Central Coast Nutraceuticals of Phoenix, which sells acai berry; hoodia, a cactus-like plant said to suppress appetite; and male -enhancement products.

Both companies use celebrities, such as Rachel Ray and Oprah Winfrey, to sell their products. Ray and Winfrey have talked about the acai berry, but have not endorsed specific products, Burns said.

When Morrow called FX Supplements after she realized her credit card had been charged, she was told she had subscribed to the product by agreeing to a set of terms and conditions.

She received word last week from the Better Business Bureau her complaint had been settled, but she said she is yet to receive a credit for the $79.95.

“It is a racket. A lot of innocent people are getting caught up in it,” Morrow said, calling it a “hard lessen learned.”

“Anything I buy off there. I always look at terms and conditions now.”

Burns encouraged people to do some research before buying products by reading fine print, searching for a verifiable business address and looking up the company on the bureau Web site, www.bbb.org.

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• Online Acai Offers: Consumers Warned (abcnews.go.com)

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