Avoiding back-to-school scams; New Jersey's tax free shopping weekend
New Jersey's Sales Tax Holiday runs Saturday, August 26th to Monday, September 4th.
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- A lot of students and their families typically look forward to back to school shopping but this inflationary economy is putting a damper on spending.
A new survey by ScoreSense reveals inflation is impacting school spending for 67% of parents.
We know a lot of families are struggling, but we do have good news. The best time to shop in New Jersey is this weekend.
"There are some sales tax free holidays in August and that's a great way for parents to take advantage and just get some additional discounts on their purchases," said Kimberly Palmer of NerdWallet.
New Jersey's Sales Tax Holiday runs Saturday, August 26th to Monday, September 4th.
Retailers in the Garden State should not charge you sales tax on school supplies, including computers with a sticker price of less than $3,000. Sports and recreational equipment, including ballet and other dance shoes, are also part of the sales tax holiday.
And we want you to save money, not lose it, so you need to watch out for back to school scams.
"There's a lot of different kinds of scams that come around this time of year," said Jason Kent of Cequence Security. "Like scarcity scams, where something that you really need is going to be advertised as available."
Also beware of prices that are unrealistically low. If you think they're too good to be true, they probably are.
"So one of the things that I always suggest is, when you're transacting online, make sure you do it with a credit card, not a debit card," Kent said. "Debit cards don't have the backstop limits like credit cards do. So, if you can imagine, it's tied to your checking account, they can drain your entire bank account with no repercussions."
Credit cards come with fraud protection, including the right to dispute charges and get your money back.
Kent also says beware of P2P apps like Zelle, Venmo or Cash app.
"So those are exactly like check transactions, I never recommend transacting online that way," he said.
And if there's an item you just can't find?
"I recommend approaching the school and asking them where you can get things," said Kent.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Consumer Reports: Saving on Back to School Shopping
