More than 10 million Brits have fallen victim to online shopping scams, it has been revealed, as 19 million UK shoppers prepare to embark on the biggest bargain hunts of the year. Research from cybersecurity company NordVPN has shown that 20.7% of UK adults have been scammed while shopping online — equivalent to 10.6 million people.
With Black Friday less than a week away, cyber scammers have their sights on the four in five Brits who might take part in the event. A total of 37.1% of UK shoppers say they’ll head online for Cyber Monday, Black Friday or the Christmas sales, with a further 40.9% still to decide.
The task of online criminals is being made easier by the millions of UK consumers prepared to offer up a treasure trove of personal information in exchange for an extra reduction or freebie — and those who have already been scammed are at the front of the queue. Of those who have previously experienced a scam, many admit they’d still be prepared to hand over a bunch of bizarrely irrelevant information to get a big discount or freebie.
