Black Friday is here, and so are online shopping scams. Scam websites have increased by 89% since last year, and almost 80% of the shopping deals in your inbox are fake. Even Google search results are being manipulated to lead shoppers to dangerous sites. Because of this, the FBI has issued an important warning to help people stay safe when shopping online using Chrome, Safari, and Edge.
7 Tips to Avoid Scam Sellers
The FBI wants everyone to follow these seven key tips to avoid falling for online shopping scams:
- Check the URL: Make sure the website is real and secure. Look for the padlock symbol and “https” at the start of the URL. If something looks suspicious, don’t take the risk.
- Research New Websites: Don’t buy from a new website until you’ve looked it up. Be careful—sometimes reviews can be fake too.
- Check Seller Ratings: On auction sites or marketplaces, avoid sellers with little or no feedback or bad ratings. Stick to sellers with lots of good reviews and completed transactions.
- Watch Out for Fake Authorized Dealers: Stay away from sellers who claim to be official dealers in places where that doesn’t make sense. These sellers often take your money but don’t deliver anything, or they send fake goods.
- Be Careful of Sellers with Excuses: Be cautious of sellers who say they are out of the country for reasons like business or family emergencies. This is often a scam tactic.
- Avoid Unusual Shipping Requests: Don’t trust websites that offer strange shipping options or want to bypass customs. Always use a credit card for extra safety.
- Never Pay with Gift Cards: Don’t pay using gift cards. Scammers will ask for the card number and PIN, then steal the money.
Extra Precautions for Safe Shopping
Check Point’s cyber research team says scams are at an all-time high this year, with almost all fake websites copying popular brands. Their advice is similar to the FBI’s:
- Check URLs for Mistakes: Watch out for small changes in website addresses, like stussycanadablackfriday[.]com instead of the real brand URL.
- Look for Secure URLs: Make sure the website starts with “https://” and has a padlock icon.
- Verify Email Senders: Double-check email senders to make sure they are real.
- Avoid Random QR Codes: Don’t scan or click on QR codes unless you trust them.
- Be Careful with Personal Info: Don’t give out details like your Social Security number, and avoid giving extra information like your birthday if it’s not needed.
Phishing and Fake Offers: A Growing Threat
Phishing scams are everywhere this holiday season. Bitdefender warns that 75% of Black Friday marketing emails are actually scams. Many of these scams look like real offers from brands you know, but they are designed to steal your information or money.
So,,,
If an offer seems too good to be true, it probably is. Stay cautious, shop safely, and always double-check before clicking “buy.”
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