Black Friday is here and thus the shopping season begins. After Thanksgiving, the occasion when we thank for the things that we are grateful for. Black Friday marks the beginning of deals and discounts on electronics, apparels phones, gift cards and more. No matter how excited you are to shop this season, it is always good to be more careful as the deals and discounts could do more harm than good.
A lot of scammers take advantage of people going crazy on steep discounts. So, we need to check on discounts, websites and gift cards provided by a website to make sure that we are not being scammed. Let’s take a look!
Facebook Offers
Facebook has an algorithm which promotes posts which are producing more interactions. Now the scammers take advantage of this and create a fake but convincing campaign with irresistible offers and products with lowest prices. These posts are shared by people who don’t know the risk, thus imperiling millions of people.
These websites lure you to steal your credit card number and other confidential information may also result in identity theft. The deals could claim to provide impossible deals, could also promise free MacBook, iPhones and more. However, once the page is circulated among enough number of people, the post or the entire page is changed. You might not be able to see the same deals and the same products. Till the time we understand that it is a scam, they might earn money using a pay-per-click scheme.
Also Read : How To Keep Cyber Stalkers Away From You?
The Better Business Bureau urges: “Scammers may also sell the page and information that was collected from the “likes” with a more direct threat of gaining access in an attempt to gather credit card numbers that may be stored for certain Facebook apps, passwords or other personal information. New pages created from gathered data may be used to spread malicious software to compromise data or spread malware”.
Fake Products
During the holiday season, the online electronic stores could also fool you. You could see advertisements with your desired products at unbelievable prices. Offers could be $ 11 for iPad or digital camera under $ 5 which could just be a hoax. People every year fall for it and make payments on these counterfeit online stores.
People who are into fashion could be lured by seeing high-end designer clothes, so some scammers use them to victimize buyers. Once you try to get the merchandise and enter your credit card information and they steal it & misuse it.
Gift Cards
During Black Friday, you could be offered gift cards for popular retailers at huge discounts. It is advised not to give attention to such deals as they could be stolen cards or a fake. If they are fake, then it will not work while making the payment. if they are stolen, they would have been disabled when you will try to use them to make payment. In both the cases, you will be frustrated and embarrassed.
Your Purchase Might Have Delivery Issues
During any festive season or the sale season, it is natural to expect a delay in your delivery. However, you need to make sure the message or email that you are receiving for a delayed delivery is from the merchant.
Amazon happens to be the biggest online shopping website, and if you have a Prime account, are buying things on this Black Friday, be careful from the emails after making a purchase. Scammers send messages in bulk claiming to represent FedEx, Amazon
The email could say, your product could not be shipped. Please click here to update your address or payment method. It is wise to ignore the email and if you have your doubts, you can call the customer care to confirm the ingenuity.
Fake Email Offers
Most of the retailers and online shopping websites send out emails consisting the discounts and offers available as Black Friday deals, however, not all of them are genuine emails. Usually, the scammers make a duplicate website which mostly looks like any of the famous brands which will act as a foreground and redirect you to suspicious pages which are not distantly related to the real companies.
To make sure you are on the original website, check the web address to see domain name if the brand name is spelt right. You can also check for HTTP whether there is a ‘s’ at the end or not(if there is ‘s’ at the end, this means it is secure to make financial transactions. If you see any of the red flags mentioned, close the window instantly.
Also, if you see emails from such brands for which you haven’t subscribed Newsletters, then simply ignore the emails. Never click on the links present in the emails.
How To Avoid Black Friday Deals Scams?
From Thanksgiving to New Year, it is shopping season. With discounts and deals and a little bit of cautiousness will make the holiday season more fun and memorable. Don’t click on unwanted emails and the links in these emails. Don’t fall for huge and unbelievable discounts, always purchase gift cards from a genuine retailer or website. Also, keep your computer updated and keep anti-virus software turned on.
Must Read : 9 Biggest Security Threats of 2019
So, make sure you don’t fall for the huge discounts and lucrative offers, check for all the red flags and then provide your personal information.
On this note, all we want to say is Happy Shopping, stay secure and Enjoy the holiday season!
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