The holidays bring great deals, but they also bring scammers looking to steal your money and personal information.

What’s Happening: The Better Business Bureau is warning shoppers to watch out for fake websites and sketchy online deals during the holiday season. Scammers create websites that look like real stores to trick people into giving up their credit card information.

What’s Important: You can protect yourself by checking three things before you buy: Make sure the website has contact information, look for “HTTPS://” and a lock icon in the web address, and read the return policy carefully.

Between the Lines: Some warning signs are easy to spot if you know what to look for.

Fake websites often copy the design of real stores but leave out phone numbers or physical addresses.

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