As you start holiday shopping, be careful of phony products at online stores like Amazon and Walmart.
Wisconsin Consumer Protection director Michelle Reinen says you should always take a close look at the reviews on a product before you get it.
“Don’t just pay attention to the number of stars or thumbs up a product may receive. You need to read the details. Another consumer may indicate that something’s never been delivered, or tell you about the quality of the product, or that it’s written so mechanically you’re going to know it’s not a true review written by an actual consumer,” Reinen said.
Those fraudulent products can be put on sale automatically and only pulled down when they are actually reviewed by a store admin, and by that time you might have lost out on your money already.