Black Friday is the day South African consumers focus on bargain hunting for the best deals, according to Dan Thornton, chief executive at GoldPhish.
With the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, the shift towards online shopping accelerated, and a significant portion of this purchasing will take place online.
But it’s not only e-commerce retailers and customers who are preparing for Black Friday – scammers and fraudsters are planning to get in on the action too.
“We have to be on the lookout for dodgy deals and be smart when it comes to prices that seem too good to be true. Unfortunately, more online shopping activity means more opportunities for cybercrimes to take place,” Thornton said.
Here are five ways you can avoid shopping scams on Black Friday:
Too good to be true
If you spot a deal that looks too good to be true, then it probably is not.
Thornton said Black Friday was all about discounts that consumers would not find at other times of the year, but this should not cloud their common sense.
“If you're unsure about a link or a voucher, or a price just seems too low, head over to the retailer's site directly – if the deal is legitimate, it will be there,” Thornton said.
Don’t share your personal information
Legitimate companies will never ask consumers to share their personal information such as bank details or passwords via text messages.
Thornton said: “If they're an online retailer, they will be aware of the prevalence of scams and will confidently provide you with proof of their legitimacy.”
Be cautious of social media marketplaces
If you are thinking about purchasing a product from a social media profile page or marketplace it is crucial that you check the following:
– how long the business has been around
– how many followers the page has
– if the customer reviews come from real accounts.
Make sure you only sign off on secure payments
Thornton said that when consumers are entering their details into a website, they must make sure that there is a little padlock symbol in the address bar.
“In addition, always check that the URL from the site you're inputting details into begins with https:// as this signals that your data will be encrypted.”
If you have been scammed, react immediately
If you have been scammed, your number one priority is to contact your bank.
“Your credit cards must be replaced, and you must change your security details on your bank accounts. In addition, you need to be quick about resetting passwords and maximising the security settings on your online shopping accounts,” Thornton said.
IOL Business