Black Friday is one of the biggest shopping events of the year.
The 24-hour shopping bonanza is happening on November 25 this year. However, a number of online stores will advertise eye-catching discounts in the weeks leading up to Black Friday.
Eager shoppers trawling through hundreds of websites looking for the best deals have been warned to stay cautious of online scams. It is important to be aware of certain red flags that could indicate that fraudulent activity is just one click away.
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Founder of WeThrift, Nick Drewe, has revealed some of the online frauds shoppers need to watch out for this Black Friday.
- Order confirmation scams
This type of fraud involves the scammer sending a fake order confirmation email claiming that an order has been confirmed, but won't actually tell you what the order is. The email will encouraged people to click on a link to find out.
They will then be directed to a page that looks just like the retailer's site, but it'll be fraudsters who will receive their personal information if they have input it anywhere.
- Fake invoices
Scammers will send people fake invoices claiming their payment hasn't been received. These emails will ask unsuspicious victims to re-enter their bank details or a request from someone on PayPal asking for payment.
If you receive one of these invoices unexpectedly, regardless of whether you think you have tried to purchase, make sure you read through the information carefully and compare it against your most recent bank statement.
- Billing error scam
In this type of fraud, shoppers will receive an email saying their billing information is incorrect, and that they need to change them immediately, or they will lose out on an order.
Usually, when there is a sense of urgency, that's when you should be suspicious, as they hope to draw you into entering your bank details into a fake website that they've made to look like the real deal.
If you are unsure at all about whether an order has gone through, contact the retailer directly with any order confirmation or information so they can give you legitimate information on your account.
- Receiving instant messages
Another type of scam is when fraudsters send out a a suspicious-looking message with a link to a well-known website, urging you to click to secure a great deal. However the link will most likely be fake, and clicking on it will unleash an intrusion of malware on your device, making your personal information vulnerable.
Scammers will replicate the retailer website’s URLs and layouts URLs, and as time has gone on, they have become extremely good at it- making it hard to spot whether it is fraudulent or not. Once they have encouraged people to click, they will then send phishing messages and keylogging malware straight to the target's device.
- Phishing emails
Phishing emails try to trick users into disclosing sensitive confidential information. Therefore, it is important to not click on any links or pop-ups from sources that you are not familiar with.
The same thing goes for websites. From dodgy URLs (ones with no ‘https.’ or locked padlock symbol on the bar) to poor website design, there are plenty of fraudulent sites you must be wary of.
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- Fake product reviews
Fake Amazon reviews have particularly skyrocketed this year. These reviews usually feature unusual turns of phrases and are over-packed with technical jargon.
However, humans are the ones promoting these, often for payment from the product manufacturer in return. There are 'review exchange' clubs online, normally on social media sites, where sellers on sites like Amazon will offer goods in return for overly generous comments-often ones that are extremely misleading.
What to do if you have been scammed?
You should contact your bank and the gardai as soon as possible.
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