COLUMBUS, Ohio — As the popularity of online shopping continues to grow, scammers are looking to cash in on unaware customers, the Better Business Bureau warns.

One victim from Columbus was scammed out of $900 while trying to adopt puppies, according to the BBB. Another victim from Lima was scammed out of $300 while trying to purchase a Nintendo Switch online.

“The website looks very professional, has beautiful photographs, either stolen from other people’s websites or other people’s products,” said Le Anne Lanigan, BBB of Central Ohio Director of Consumer Relations and Investigations. 

Lanigan said a recent BBB report shows online scams are up 87% since 2015. 

“We knew it was new, and we knew it would grow, and then during COVID, it forced everybody who was kind of uncomfortable with shopping online to shop online," said Lanigan.

In order to avoid getting scammed, Lanigan said there’s several precautions Ohioans can take. She encourages the public to do research on the companies you're looking to buy from, stay away from quick purchases on social media and be careful about getting popular Christmas items last minute. 

“Get it early. Get it from a legitimate site because the harder the item is to find the more likely the consumer is to be tempted to take a chance on a sketchier website,” she said. 

Anytime you’re purchasing items online, she said always use a credit card.

“A lot of consumers don’t understand that the banks treats the debit card like cash” she said. “So you don’t have the same the protections that you would have if you had used a credit card.”

If you are unsure if the website you’re purchasing from is legitimate, the BBB encourages you to not only check out the business profile and the BBB Scam Tracker.

“There they can read all the scams that have happened to other people and sometimes when they see a scam out there, then they are less likely to fall for the one they’re involved with,” she said. 

For more information about tips on how to avoid scams, click here.