Seasonal DealsProtect yourself from Black Friday scams with these 5 easy tipsThey’re getting harder and harder to spotWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
Seasonal DealsProtect yourself from Black Friday scams with these 5 easy tipsThey’re getting harder and harder to spotWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
They’re getting harder and harder to spot
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Alex Knight / Unsplash)
(Image credit: Alex Knight / Unsplash)
Black Fridayis finally upon us, and whilst it’s the perfect weekend for finding bargains, it’s also a prime time for fraudsters to target unsuspecting shoppers. The fast-paced nature of Black Friday can make scams harder to spot, especially with time-limited offers or deals that seem too good to miss.
To help you stay safe, we’ve put together five simple tips to avoid scammers this Black Friday – ensuring your shopping experience stays secure, from hitting ‘buy now’ to when your parcel arrives on your doorstep.
1. Look out for dodgy emails
One important way to look out for this is to see if the domain name of the sender’s email address is slightly off, or just plain incorrect. It could also be a good idea to see if the email address matches the official one from the shop it’s claiming to be. Lastly, if the email is in your ‘junk’ or ‘spam’ inbox, then it should probably stay there.
2. Double check those reviews
3. Don’t use public Wi-Fi
Public Wi-Fi networks are convenient, especially if you’re on the go, but they’re also less secure. If you’re planning on making some purchases over the Black Friday weekend, avoid doing so when connected to public Wi-Fi as cybercriminals and scammers can easily intercept your data. It’s safer to just avoid it altogether, but if your money is burning a whole in your pocket, then consider using a VPN to protect yourself.
4. Look out for ‘missed delivery’ messages
Another classic Black Friday scam is known as the ‘missed delivery’ scam. It usually comes through as a text message suggesting you have a parcel waiting with Evri, Royal Mail or another delivery provider. If you’re planning on buying lots or doing all your Christmas shopping, it can be difficult keeping track of what you’ve purchased and when it’s arriving. Therefore, when you receive a text saying you need to claim a package, it can be quite believable.
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If the text message asks you to click on a link or pay a collection fee, then it most likely is a scam. Most delivery couriers will leave a paper slip if they miss you, providing instructions on how you can get it redelivered. It’s always best to follow these rather than a text.
At the end of the day, if you do miss a parcel and it has to go back to the retailer, you’ll get your money back. This is always a safer option than risking someone scamming you.
5. Try to use a credit card instead of a debit card
If there’s an option to purchase your Black Friday deal with a credit card instead of a debit, try and do that. Credit cards offer fraud liability protection, something that debit cards do not, meaning online purchases bought with a credit card have less of a risk.
What should you do if you’ve been scammed?
If you think you’ve been scammed, you must contact your bank immediately. In a lot of cases, your bank will be able to stop the payment and return it to your account. If the scam involved entering your username or password for any online accounts, you must change your password immediately, as well as on any other account the same password is used.
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