MEMPHIS, Tenn. — July is Military Consumer Month and WREG’s Zaneta Lowe has a look at the top three scams that affect service members and their families and how to avoid them.
The number one scam for military families to watch out for are imposter scams. This could be anything from the fake IRS calls, to other phonies calling your house to demand money.
According to the Federal Trade Commission, nearly 30,000 military consumers filed complaints last year about imposter scams. Families lost an estimated $25 million in those schemes.
Other scams to watch out for include those related to phones and mobile services as well as shop at home and catalog sale scams. Prize, sweepstakes and lottery scams are also very common.
Watch for red flags like unsolicited calls and messages on social media, high pressure sales tactics and requirements for use a specific form of payment.
And if you have to send money to make money, it’s usually a scam, so don’t fall for that either.
What to buy in July
Of course, we’re a day past the 4th of July, so stock up on any decor for next year.
Speaking of holidays, look for Christmas in July sales.
Amazon Prime Day is July 16th, so members can expect discounts, but keep an eye out for other major retailers who’ll be marking down their online prices around the same time.
Now is also the time to start keeping an eye on summer clothing sales. Around July retailers start to make room for back to school items and fall merchandise. Those sale and clearance racks will start to fill up with summer stuff soon.
Now what we should skip in July
You’ll still want to wait a while on grills, as the better sales will come toward September.
If you’re in the market for a laptop, sales will likely be better closer to back to school.
And we talked amazon prime day, but keep in mind, not everything is a deal.
