RALEIGH, N.C. – The holiday shopping season is in full swing, following the kickoff of Thanksgiving weekend sales.

If the National Retail Federation’s predictions hold true, nearly 2 million more people will be taking part in Cyber Monday deals on Nov. 29.

What You Need To Know

  • The National Retail Federation expects online and in-store sales between $843 million and $859 billion over November and December.

  • Cyber Monday 2021 is expected to break last year’s record of over $10.8 billion spent

  • Follow tips below from the Better Business Bureau to avoid falling victim to scam websites

Last year’s Cyber Monday set records for the biggest online shopping day in U.S. history. According to Adobe Analytics, Americans shelled out a record $10.8 billion in online sales that day in 2020.

During all the sales excitement, some deals may be too good to be true.

Spectrum News 1 spoke with Alyssa Parker of the Better Business Bureau to get some quick tips and red flags shoppers should look out for.

“The first tip we have is to be aware of phony websites and false advertising,” Parker said. “If something seems too good to be true, it probably is.”

She also recommends making sure the sites you shop have “https” in the URL. The ‘S’ stands for secure.

“It’s also important to do your research. Make sure you’re looking up companies, make sure they’re legitimate companies. You can always go to BBB.org and really get a great, great breakdown for how that company interacts with consumers,” Parker said.

Parker said rewards and loyalty programs also help confirm more trustworthy companies.

Finally, Parker recommended you always use your credit card. Debit cards don’t have as many protections as credit cards, in case something were to go wrong and you want to get your money back.

You can report suspicious activity to bbb.org/scamtracker, so others don’t fall victim to scams around the holiday season.