GARLAND, Texas — It’s the time of year when spending soars through the holiday season. “Small Business Saturday” brought plenty of shoppers out to Garland’s downtown square.
“These stores are part of our community,” said Walker Bihm, the communication specialist for the downtown portion of the city. “These are our neighbors…small business Saturday is the kickoff to our entire holiday season.”
Store employees like Haley Hodson greet their customers outside.
“I grew up in Garland and this whole area has exploded in a good way and it’s really nice to see," said Hodson, who works at Thrift Binge.
Online small business owners are also hoping for a big business weekend ahead of Cyber Monday.
However, consumer experts warn the holiday season is when criminals often try to cash in.
“Last year we got complaints of losses totaling more than 650 million dollars from business impersonation scams, and we know that's just the tip of the iceberg,” said Sam Levine, the director of Bureau of Consumer Protection, Federal Trade Commission.
The Better Business Bureau suggests using protected payment methods like PayPal or a credit card, be wary of social media ads, not everything you see is legit. The BBB also recommends that you avoid links provided in unsolicited emails, and when shopping online, you should always verify you are at the right website.
Meanwhile the U.S. Postal Inspector says watch out for fraudulent text messages impersonating reputable companies, otherwise known as “smishing.”
The text will often, but not always, come from a random number. It could contain a sense of urgency, include grammatical errors, and suspicious links.