Online shopping is easy to be overwhelmed by, but making sure you are shopping with legitimate businesses and avoiding scams is one of the most important things to keep in mind during.

Snoqualmie Police Officer Nigel Draveling put together the 2015 Senior Safety Seminar Series, a program held at Mount Si Senior Center in North Bend. One of the seminars covered the topic of common fraud schemes and how they can be avoided.

“There are certain fraud schemes that go after senior citizens and their family members,” Draveling said. The program focuses on awareness, reduction, prevention, and reporting.

In the presentation, Draveling refers to the FBI’s common fraud schemes webpage where they outline many of the tactics used most often.

Telemarketing fraud is one of these tactics. Limited-time offers, free gifts, vacations and prizes, and promises of a product or money with no risk are common lines for telemarketing scammers.

Both the safety seminar and the FBI page recommend not buying anything from unfamiliar companies, or paying for any charges that come with “free” prizes. They also warn people to always research companies they have never heard of. Try to find information on these businesses through consumer protection agencies.

Internet fraud is another common method that scammers use. Never click on intrusive banner ads that claim you won a prize or were selected for a contest. Internet fraud also includes credit card scams and never delivering items that you bought and paid for. Auction sites like eBay are also common places for sellers to set up scams since payment is accepted before the item is shipped. Always make sure the seller has a good reputation and fully details what they are selling.

According to the FBI’s fraud schemes site, it is important to be careful when donating to charities as well. Always make sure you know what percentage of the money you donate goes to the charity rather than to commission.

One of the most important steps that not many people is to report instances of fraud or companies that have tried to scam you. Many people do not think of this step and may not know who to report to. There are agencies like the Better Business Bureau or the National Fraud Information Center that you can report scams to. Local, State and Federal agencies all have departments that can be reported to as well.

For more information on the types of fraud covered in the Senior Safety Seminar Series visit the FBI’s fraud webpage at www.fbi.gov/scams-safety/fraud.