The Better Business Bureau Serving Connecticut is helping residents avoid falling victim to an online scam on this Cyber Monday.

"What we see often this time of year is people making emotional purchases. They're thinking with their hearts instead of their heads," says Kristen Johnson, the director of communications for BBB Serving Connecticut.

The BBB says that the number of people shopping through social media is expected to double this year, and as a result, some of the biggest issues it has been seeing so far is scammers creating fake pop-up ads and accounts through sites likes Instagram and TikTok.

Because of that, Johnson says if you see something you like, it is important to take a step back, instead of just clicking buy right there on the page.

"Look at when the profile was created - is it brand new? Because if it is, it's probably a fake," Johnson says.

She also recommends not buying straight through the social media apps since those can also be fake accounts.

"If they have an actual website, shop through their website instead of their store, because unfortunately, scammers can take over stores, they can take over profiles just like they do on Facebook or Instagram, so you don't necessarily know who you're dealing with," Johnson explained.

She also says to double check the web address of any site - noting that scammers often will misspell a popular website by one letter, in hopes of fooling people.

Another easy thing to look for, according to Johnson, is to check the URL where a picture of a lock on the left side, as well as the letter "s" in the address, after "http" are both signs that the connection is secure.

Johnson says one other thing that is common this time of year is a fake deal from a website, where they will claim a product is being discounted at a high rate, but in fact, they just increased its normal base price, making the "sale price" exactly the same as it would have been any other time.

When it comes time to pay, Johnson says to try to use a credit card - especially if you are going through a social media site. That way there is built-in protection if something goes wrong.

"If you do not know the person, you should not be paying with a gift card," says Johnson. “Any reputable business will take a credit card. If they don't, that's a red flag."

In general, Johnson says the best rule of thumb is don’t buy impulsively or emotionally - especially if it is something specific you are looking for.

"If it does seem too good to be true, then it probably is," Johnson explains. "That's where that research comes into play, that's where the comparing prices from store to store - if every store is sold out of the hot toy of the year, and there's one random website of a business you've never heard of before has it, and they have it for a lot less than it's been selling for everywhere else -that's a huge red flag."

The BBB also has an online scam tracker which can be used to look up anything that seems suspicious, or report anything that does not deliver.