Beware of impersonation scams ahead of the holiday season, experts warn

Impersonation scams are on the rise, with tricks like fake ads that direct you to fake websites and payment sites aimed at stealing your bank information. Experts say these ads are only expected to worsen as we head into the holiday season. So how can viewers verify who's really behind an ad before clicking or paying?KDKA recently reported about an Instagram ad promising a chance to work as an extra on "The Pitt," but the only way to get on the show is to go through the official casting agency. Expert Vinny Minhas said the ad worked because a recognizable show's name got people to trust the ad before they knew who was behind it."Unfortunately, I was not surprised, because this happens all too often," Minhas said. "The table stakes for impersonations have become all too low, just because of the sophisticated technologies out there that make it very easy to mimic a legitimate brand in a matter of a few seconds."Convincing ads and lookalike landing pages will borrow credibility and then m