Whether you plan to do all your holiday shopping online or you’re going brave the crowds at the malls, the Federal Trade Commission offers shopping tips to protect you from fraud, over-paying at the cash register and more.

Find tips to help you research a purchase, shop safely, and understand contracts and warranties.

Black Friday is one of the most popular shopping days of the year. If you plan to hunt for great holiday deals this year, use these tips from the Massachusetts Department of Consumer Affairs newsletter (PDF) to make sure you’re getting the best price:

1. Comparison shop: What does getting the best deal mean? When you’re looking at sales, do not focus solely on price. Decide which deal will give you the best value, including shipping costs, layaway plans, and free gifts.
2. Bring ads with you: Once you know what you want and where to get it, print or cut out any ads you’ve seen for the products. Before purchasing, make sure that the prices on the shelf and at the register match the advertised price. Many retailers will be price-matching their competitors, so you may be able to get an item at a different retailer for the same price.
3. Know store policies: Refunds, cancellations, returns, layaways – be sure to check the retailer’s website for these policies before heading to the store. These also need to be clearly displayed in the store before checkout. Ask for a copy of the policies so you have them on file in case anything goes wrong.
4. Shop smart with a Smartphone: Apps such as Consumer Reports Mobile Shopper give consumers more on-the-fly shopping information then ever. These apps can scan an item’s barcode, show reviews, keep track of deals, navigate between stores, and provide instant comparison shopping.
5. Know the deal: Retailers typically advertise Black Friday prices as the lowest of the year, but this is not always true. Some items may be offered at lower prices other times during the year. Be aware of this when looking at sale prices and check around to compare one retailer’s deals with another.
6. Watch for inflated prices and exaggerated markdowns: Some sellers will inflate the “regular” price of an item in order to increase the markdown and give the appearance of a deal when no money is actually saved. Watch out for overlapping price tags and know what the real normal cost is before making a purchase.
7. Use Layaway: For an item that may sell out, putting it on layaway is a great way to pay at your convenience while not missing the deal because of limited supply.

By Kati Daffan, staff attorney in the Division of Marketing Practices at the Federal Trade Commission.

There has been a lot of commentary about the July 23rd post regarding the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and robocalls, so we thought we would follow up with a bit more information.

First, we want to clarify the rules. The FTC has laws forbidding any sales robocall unless you’ve given your express written permission to receive it.

Some other types of robocalls are legal, such as informational calls from your doctor, calls from legitimate charities, and political messages. (In general, by the way, political robocalls are protected by the First Amendment.)

One commenter asked about calls from those claiming to be doing a research survey – the answer is that these calls are legal if the purpose of the call truly is to conduct a survey, but if the call is ultimately trying to sell you something, it’s illegal.

Unfortunately, we’ve seen an increase in calls from fraudsters who are apparently willing to both violate the laws against robocalls and ignore the Do Not Call Registry.

This is because over the past two years, new technologies have made it cheap and simple to send out millions of calls with just the click of a mouse. These technologies also make it easier to hide one’s location and evade law enforcement. With the combination of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) calls, cloud computing, auto-dialing software, and other advances, it is now possible to make robocalls for 1 cent per call or less, while also obscuring one’s identity quite effectively.

In the face of these changes, the FTC has continued its aggressive law enforcement efforts against robodialers. The agency has brought 12 enforcement cases targeting illegal robocalls, and violators have paid $5.6 million in total penalties so far.

Since January 2010, the Federal Trade Commission has shut down the companies responsible for more than 2.6 billion illegal telemarketing robocalls. We continue to pursue this approach, targeting high volume offenders and focusing on “chokepoints” in the calling process to stop the largest number of illegal calls. We use consumer complaints to do our targeting, which is why it helps us if you report illegal robocalls to donotcall.gov or by calling 1-888-382-1222.

In addition to these law enforcement activities, the FTC is pursuing technological solutions. We’ve been holding meetings and calls with engineers, technologists, and industry experts to discuss how we can better trace calls, combat caller ID spoofing, and stop illegal robocalls.

In addition, we’re hosting a public Summit in Washington, DC on October 18, 2012, which will bring together law enforcement, legitimate industry, consumer groups, and other stakeholders in pursuit of the same goal. Please visit ftc.gov/robocalls to look for up-to-date information about the different initiatives underway.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and for your interest in this topic. Here at the FTC, we share your frustration and are doing everything in our power to stop illegal robocallers in their tracks.

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