Illinois Parents, Watch Out For These Back To School Scams

Kids around the QCA are headed back to school and there are some scams that parents need to watch out for.

Back-to-school shopping can be super stressful. You have the teacher's school supply list to follow, plus any clothes or necessities you know your kid needs for the new year. It's expensive. It's a lot of stuff.

Illinois did not do a tax-free weekend this year, but Iowa did. But if you didn't get all your school supply shopping in, parents need to be on the lookout for some sketchy shopping tactics.

You definitely haven't been the only confused parents walking around in Walmart or Target. The National Retail Federation estimates that back-to-school shopping will hit a record this year.

What To Watch Out For

The FTC has some suggestions on how to protect your money and your personal information while you're shopping for your kiddo to go back to school.

• Look at the fine print (return and refund policies, etc)
• Don't fall for clickbait ads on your social media
• Pre-checked boxes online. Some businesses illegally put pre-checked notes with your order that says you agree to be billed later. Not a thing. Uncheck it.
• Save receipts
• Check with the school to make sure your expensive purchases (like those calculators) meet the requirements
• Compare prices. BBB told NBC Chicago that it's important to do your research but...
• Stick to businesses you know. (Which should be obvious for any kind of shopping)
• Ask about student discounts at some of these stores.

Basically, just make sure the place you're giving your money to is legit and that you're not paying a ton more than you need to for school supplies.