The holidays are getting close and many of us are looking for those last minute deals.

One place people are turning to is Facebook Marketplace, but beware because scammers are lurking. The spike in online shopping has unfortunately led many victims right to the criminals who offer deals too good to pass up.

This fall, the AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline has received a high volume of calls from people losing money to scams on Facebook Marketplace.

Here are some tips to avoid online sales scams. Before making that purchase research what similar items are selling for elsewhere, the greater the deal the greater the likelihood that it could be a scam.

Buy local versus having something shipped and arrange to meet in a public space.

Pay cash - if asked to pay by a payment app, wire transfer or gift card, refuse.

Finally, if you need to get an item shipped, use a credit card which has fraud protections.

Be a fraud fighter! If you can spot a scam, you can stop a scam.

Report scams to local law enforcement. For help from AARP, call 1-877-908-3360 or visit the AARP Fraud Watch Network at www.aarp.org/fraudwatchnetwork.