Our five top tips that will help you stay safe on Black Friday
The coronavirus pandemic is changing the way many of us prefer to shop. Global e-commerce sales are expected to rise 16.5% this year compared to 2019, amounting to an extra $3.9 trillion spent online shopping.
However, this rise in sales also provides scammers with even more of an incentive to try and trick you into giving them your hard-earned cash. As part of our annual Black Friday post, this year we’ve decided to recap some of our older blogs with top online commerce shopping tips that will give you all the information you need to help you stay safe, while still taking advantage of the best deals.
Black Friday scams and six ways to protect yourself
The first part to staying safe online during Black Friday is learning what are some of the tactics scammers commonly use to take advantage of customers shopping online. By taking the right precautions, such as avoiding clicking suspicious links, using a credit card, and not doing your online shopping on public Wi-Fi, you are much less likely to become the victim of an online scam. Remember it’s also always better to go directly to the retailer’s website to verify any deals that come through to you via email or text.
What is online credit card fraud and how can I protect myself?
If you become a victim of online credit card fraud, it can wreak havoc on your personal finances, and so it is important to understand exactly how you might be tricked into online credit card fraud and learn the ways to lower your risk. By reading around the impact credit card fraud can have, you are more likely to think twice before rushing into an impulse purchase that plays into the hands of a scammer. This post also teaches you how to recognise if fraud has occurred on your credit card.
How to tell if an ecommerce website is genuine
One of the easiest ways to lure people into spending their money for goods that never end up arriving is through a fake website. These often have the same look and feel as the real versions so can be difficult to spot, especially if you are taken in by the offers and forget to look carefully to see if the site is legitimate. By searching for contact details, customer feedback, using Whois, and looking to see if the website is encrypted, you have the possible chance of spotting any dodgy ecommerce sites and keeping hold of your money!
Is it safe to store your credit card information online?
There are always safety considerations when making financial transactions online. One area to exercise caution is if a retailer asks your permission to store your card details on their site after the transaction has been completed. While storing your credit card information is convenient, it’s a risk you need to weigh against the retailers’ ability to keep your information safe and the ingenuity of hackers. If you do decide to store your credit card details, this post will also take you through additional security measures you can add to your accounts to protect yourself from fraud.
How to spot a delivery scam
The final stage of online shopping is the delivery of the goods! Nonetheless, companies such as FedEx have warned customers that fraudulent shipping updates are being sent impersonating the company and that customers need to be vigilant to avoid putting malware on their devices. With these updates, either sent over text or by email, fraudsters attempt to steal your personal information by directing you to go to a fake website (that appears legitimate) before asking you to enter personal information, like your bank account login and password. This post runs you through some basic things to remember to avoid being caught out.
We hope you enjoyed this post and feel confident shopping online this Black Friday. If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments section below.
