Black Friday (November 24) is fast approaching, and with budgets squeezed by living costs, shoppers will be feeling the pressure to find a bargain.
While there will be deals to be had, scammers will also be getting ready to strike as people get swept up in the excitement of the shopping bonanza.
They may clone the websites of genuine retailers, or offer goods which are shoddy or do not exist.
Paul Maskall, manager of fraud and cybercrime prevention at UK Finance, says: “In the run-up to Christmas we are often making more purchases than usual and looking for a great deal on items to save a bit of money where we can.
“Criminals will use a range of tactics to entice you into making a purchase and trick you into thinking that you are buying from a genuine seller. For example, they may impersonate a known company or offer high-value goods at a fraction of the cost.”
The ease and convenience with which people can list products for sale online “with a couple of clicks” – and without having to prove you actually own the item at all – means this process can be manipulated by criminals, Maskall warns.
He continues: “It is important in the run-up to Christmas, where you might be excited to find a great deal for gifts, to follow the advice of the Take Five to Stop Fraud campaign and be on the lookout for potentially fraudulent advertisements.”
The campaign encourages people to take a pause before parting with their money or personal information. Remember that criminals will try to rush or panic you into making a purchase and if you do think you’ve been scammed, contact your bank immediately as well as the police.
Explaining how scams can be made to look very convincing, Maskall explains: “Criminals may use images taken from genuine sellers with the aim of convincing you they’re selling legitimate products.
“They may also set up cloned websites of retailers with subtle changes to the URL, aiming to trick you into thinking you’re purchasing from the genuine site.
“To create further illusions of legitimacy, criminals may also ask for payment prior to delivery and then send fake receipts or invoices that appear to be from the payment provider.”
He says it’s important to be safe and think carefully about deals, example, if you find products which are heavily discounted or are being sold at an incredibly cheap price.
“You might also be rushed into ordering the product or service so that you don’t miss the supposed deal,” says Maskall.
“Criminals may also ask you to pay via bank transfer instead of secure payment options that online platforms should offer. It is also important to check online reviews of the website before you buy.”
It’s also worth remembering that, even when dealing with genuine retailers, the best bargains aren’t necessarily to be had on Black Friday.
It could be worth doing some research on price tracking websites to see if prices for certain items are actually cheaper than you would normally expect them to be.
You could also make use of websites which compare the prices of the same product across different retailers.
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