BBB and PackagefromSanta.com Let Consumers Know Who's Naughty and Who's Nice

How to tell the difference between a legitimate “Letter from Santa” and a scam

Recently, Better Business Bureau issued a warning about fraudulent websites that promise a personalized letter from Santa but don’t deliver. In this scenario, consumers get an email promoting a “Handwritten Letter from Santa to Your Child”. When you click on the link, it takes you to a website promising a package with an “official” nice-list certification and customized letter from Santa. There’s even a free shipping special that ends (not coincidentally) in just few hours. warning

If you decide to purchase and enter your credit card information, you could be not only out the money you paid but your personal information could be stolen, leading to potential identity theft. Fortunately there are legitimate sites available that can give you that letter from Santa and more.

Some signs to look for in authentic sites are real contact information, a published privacy policy, a secure payment page and third party trust validations, such as the BBB Accredited Business seal. In addition, Better Business Bureau of Eastern Michigan and PackagefromSanta.com offer these tips to help you determine the good from the bad:

• Ignore calls for immediate action. Many scams try to get you to act before you think by creating a sense of urgency (like a free shipping special). Don’t fall for it – take your time to do research if you are not familiar with the site.

• Hover over links in emails to check their source. Scammers will make links look like something else. Place your mouse over hyper-linked text and the true destination will appear.

• Try to verify website contact information. Search the website on GoDaddy.com or Whois.net to see if the contact information matches the information on the site. Call or email the company using the contact information provided on their website. If the number is not in service, or there is no answer during regular business hours, the website may not be legitimate.

• Do your research. Check out the business on BBB.org and do a web search to see if there are any complaints or concerns written about the company.

• Make sure you pay through a secure connection. When entering credit card information online, be sure that the URL starts with “HTTPS” and has a lock icon in the browser bar.

• Watch for poor grammar and spelling. Scam emails and websites often are riddled with typos. This is often a giveaway that you aren’t dealing with a trustworthy business.

“It’s a shame to see so many dishonest Santa Letter sites out there, taking advantage of people’s desire to make Christmas special for their loved ones. We always encourage consumers to look carefully at the companies out there, and look for the tell-tale signs of a scam before ordering anything online. At PackageFromSanta.com we take pride in the fact that we stand out as the trustworthy source for bringing the magic of Santa to children and families around the world,” said Dale Gruber, Owner, PackageFromSanta.com.

About PackagefromSanta.com

PackageFromSanta.com is a Michigan family owned business in operation for 8 years which, in addition to offering letters from Santa and packages from Santa Claus, now offers a personalized ‘phone calls from Santa App’ and the newly launched personalized ‘videos from Santa’ product. Videos utilize proprietary technology along with a real bearded Santa that doesn’t cover his mouth when saying children’s names. PackageFromSanta.com a Better Business Bureau (BBB) Accredited Business and has an A rating. You can visit their BBB Business Review here.

About Better Business Bureau Serving Detroit & Eastern Michigan

Better Business Bureau Serving Detroit & Eastern Michigan is a non-profit organization with the purpose of promoting trust in the marketplace by assisting in the protection of consumers and businesses from fraud and unethical business practices. In addition to its recognized dispute resolution services, the BBB maintains business reviews on the customer service history of more than 85,000 local businesses and provides consumer education materials on numerous topics. BBB provides its services free to the public and its service territory stretches across Eastern Michigan from Ann Arbor through Metropolitan Detroit, Lansing, Flint, upward to Alpena, and covers the entire Upper Peninsula of the state.