How the BBB protects those in the military, Veterans from getting scammed

July is Military Consumer Month and the Better Business Bureau (BBB) wants to make sure the men and women who serve our country don't get taken advantage of by scammers.

They're willing to serve our country and make the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.

Whether they are deployed overseas or back home with their families, the BBB is offering this advice to help our military.

"We try to help those in the military keep safe from scams. So one thing that we see a lot of through the military is online shopping scams. Unfortunately, a lot of people get scammed online,” said Amie Mitchell, CEO of the BBB of Eastern Oklahoma.

Mitchell said there are certain things that all of us should know.

"If you're looking at a product and it seems too good to be true, or maybe the price is significantly lower than most other retailers, you might be looking at a scam. You may choose to either go with the pricier product so that you don't get scammed or look somewhere else," Mitchell said.

She said to go to the direct seller or actual business website and not to click on random social media ads.

She also said if the seller is asking you to pay with a gift card, don't do it. Always pay with a credit card instead.

"So a credit card gives you a little bit of protection you can dispute with your credit card company to say ‘hey, I was scammed. I don't want to be charged for this’. Unlike a gift card, once you purchase that gift card, that money is gone, it's gone. There's no way to track it. There's no way to get that money back. Once you've purchased that, it's on the card and that's it. Even with your bank card, you may not be able to get 100% of your money back. Different banks have different policies. So using that credit card is really the best way to ensure in case you get scammed, that you don't lose your money," Mitchell said.

The BBB also wants people to know they will come talk to your organization about specific scams, including our military. So places like the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars or the Coffee Bunker can contact the BBB directly and invite them out to a future meeting.

For more information, click here .