Florida AG Ashley Moody releases holiday consumer guide 2019

Orlando, Fla. — Just in time for the holiday shopping season, Florida's attorney general is releasing the 2019 Holiday Consumer Protection Guide.

Ashley Moody says this year's edition is full of tips on online shopping, charity-related scams, item recalls and more.

"Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday and Giving Tuesday are opportunities to find a deal, support local businesses or give to a worthy cause," Moody says in a video release.

“They also present  more openings for Grinches trying to steal your holiday cheer.”

With one less week between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year, Moody says the fast pace of the shopping brings with it more opportunity for scammers to take advantage of consumers.

Here are some tips featured in the 2019 guide:

• Use a credit card instead of a debit card for online transactions, if possible.
• Ensure the web browser being used has a secure connection before submitting payment information while ordering online. A padlock should appear in the address bar if the session is secure.
• Review any charitable solicitation carefully by searching online to see reviews of the charity or checking with the Better Business Bureau's Wise Giving Alliance to see if there are any complaints against it.

For more tips, you can find Ashley Moody's full 2019 Holiday Consumer Protection Guide here.
To see the guide in Spanish, click here.

Any consumer who has questions about making secure holiday shopping purchases or encounters a scam can call the Attorney General's Fraud Hotline at 1(866) 9NO-SCAM or visit MyFloridaLegal.com.