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11 tips for staying safe shopping online on Black Friday and Cyber Monday
Telegraph reporters
9 min read
Frustrated Caucasian businessman with laptop in office - Blend Images
In the first years of Black Friday sales in the UK, the shopping frenzy saw front pages dedicated to the carnage caused by massive discounts on big ticket gadgets and home appliances.
Many shoppers found the 5am starts and swelling crowds more stress than it was worth. Some retailers even held off on continuing to run Black Friday sales, feeling that they were more likely to put off regular shoppers than attract bargain hunters.
Online sales are booming
In response, much of the sale has moved online, where shoppers can compare prices in a more agile way (with the added bonus of curling up on the sofa with a cuppa).
Online sales have been booming over Black Friday and Cyber Monday. In the U.S, Black Friday 2016 broke online sales records, seeing an increase of 17.7pc on the previous year's online sales. In the UK, online spending on Black Friday 2016 topped £1.2 billion - up 16 per cent on the previous year, according to the CRR.
But while online shoppers might be successful in avoiding the dangers of stampeding crowds and endless queues, buying online presents dangers of its own.
Watch out, fraudsters about
Over the Black Friday weekend, criminals lie in wait with scams to capitalise on the huge amounts of hype.
According to Get Safe Online, the government-backed internet safety initiative, fraudsters are most likely to make contact with their victims on Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
In 2014 more than £16bn was lost to cyber crime over the festive season - a 42pc increase on the year before.
With the prospect of thousands of deals, online shoppers may not be as careful as they normally would be.
Here are 11 tips for staying cyber-safe on Black Friday.
1. Websites in disguise
A simple but effective ploy for fraudsters is to create a fake 'duplicate' version of a retailer's website filled with eye-watering deals.
Shoppers may buy a product on one such website but find that once payment is made, they receive an inferior product that differs from the blurb on the site - and that's if their product arrives in the post at all.
One of the most popular products in this type of scam is mobile phones, with some shoppers handing over cash to websites that fail to send any product in return.
Some fake websites are easy to spot - they may be littered with grammatical errors and tacky graphic design, but others are more sophisticated.
Check the URL of the website. It may look like a close copy of a genuine retailer or may contain a recognisable name, such as Nike. Look out for domain names that end in .net or .org. According to consumer rights group, Which? Online shopping is rarely offered by these types of sites.
2. Use the right card
By using a credit card, customers are afforded protections if things go wrong with a purchase.
Section 75 of the Consumer Rights Act means you can claim the money back if your product doesn't turn up or is faulty when it does. The items must have cost more than £100. For goods under £100 or payments made by debit card you can ask your bank to recover the money through "chargeback".
If you're buying on eBay, you're best off sticking to Paypal as bank transfers are unlikely to be refunded.
In fact, bank transfers are fishy in general. If a website asks you to make a bank transfer instead of paying by card, be suspicious.
3. Check the site's security
Do not buy any product from a site that does not have ‘https’ at the start of the URL. The ‘s’ stands for secure. Also, look out for the green padlock to the left of the browser. Be sure the padlock is not on the page itself, as this could indicate that the site is fraudulent, and trying to mimic a secure site.
4. Stay away from "phishy" emails
Phishing messages are extremely common. They are designed to appear from trusted organisation such as your bank or HMRC or familiar retailers like Apple, Tesco and Argos and the aim is to dupe consumers into revealing personal details.
A phishing email
You may receive an email which appears at first sight to be genuine, but it may contain links which lead you to download malicious software or to a fake website that requests your financial details.
Be wary of emails from retailers that offer cash prizes or deals. Check the email address and don’t click on any links embedded in the message.
According to Action Fraud, the cybercrime reporting service, even an “unsubscribe” link could be malicious.
5. Ignore WhatsApp messages that offer you cash - even if they're from friends
As Action Fraud have warned, fraudsters use instant messaging app WhatsApp to steal personal and banking details from unsuspecting users.
The lead up to Black Friday is a popular time for fraudsters trying their luck with this particular scam.
In the lead up to last year's Black Friday sale, Action Fraud warned customers about a scheme in which users reported receiving messages offering Topshop and Sainsbury’s gift cards that appeared to be sent from a phone contact. The link took you through to an official looking site which requested personal details.
Action Fraud said clicking on the link would also allow the fraudsters to collect personal information from your device that could track you. Delete messages like these even if they look like they’ve come from someone you trust and install security software on your device.
A scam on Whatsapp - Action Fraud
6. Facebook freebies that are too good to be true
If you're scrolling the news feed one day and stumble upon an offer of a free iPads, flight, shopping vouchers, Alton Tower's ticket or cheap RayBan sunglasses - it's probably a scam.
Fraudsters create attractive looking deals which they post on Facebook asking users to "like" and "share" the advert to boost it to the top of news feeds and target a wider audience. Those who click through will be asked for personal details which can be used for fraudulent purposes.
The posts may appear to be from legitimate companies - check if the Facebook account is verified with a blue tick.
The scams are rife - and we can expect nothing different in the lead up to Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
7. Avoid shopping on public wi-fi
If you log in to a wifi hotspot in an airport, bar, library or a café, you might trust that it's secure, but it's important to be careful. Any public wifi is vulnerable, and it can prove surprisingly easy for fraudsters to hack into the network and access your user details.
Criminals are also able to set up fake hotspots.
If you're shopping online use your own 3G/4G network or wait until you get home.
8. Beware the "Click and Receive" scam
Ahead of last year's Black Friday sale, Tom Church from special offer website Latest Deals warned shoppers about emails that ask you to click on a link and enter your details to rearrange a delivery. It won't tell you what the item is but over the Black Friday weekend thousands of people are likely to have ordered something online and may be tricked into handing over personal information.
A fake click and collect email - My Online Security
Mr Church said in some cases credit card details may be asked for to "verify" the delivery.
Be suspicious if the email doesn't tell you what the ordered goods are and if in doubt, retrace your order trail and make a call to the company you're expecting a parcel from.
9. Stick to the rules when shopping on eBay
There are various ways that eBay protects users - those who stray outside of the guidelines will struggle to get their money back if they fall victim to a scam.
Always pay by Paypal - most items will be protected by eBay's Money Back Guarantee. Scammers will try and get you to pay by bank transfer or a service such as Moneygram or Western Union. Do this and you forfeit your protection.
Beware of sellers contacting you directly to offer you a better deal than the listed price.
Be careful of those with little or no selling history.
Ahead of the sales there's likely to be a multitude of bargains to be found on the auction site. Among these will also be a number of cheap fakes. EBay says it doesn’t allow “counterfeit items, fakes, replicas, or unauthorised copies” but they still slip through the net. Use your common sense.
But among the genuine reviews are millions of fakes. It's become such a problem that the Competition and Markets Authority have looked into whether companies are doing enough to stop bogus reviews slipping through the net.
Which? suggested a number of features to look out for.
An example of a fake offer designed to get customer details
One thing to look out for is if lots of the reviews appear to be very similar. It suggests they are being copied and pasted or written by the same person. It should raise a red flag if the reviewers are all very new. If there are very few reviews and you're suspicious of the website, avoid it.
11. If you think you've been a victim of a scam - act fast
If you've been conned, call your bank immediately and ask them to try and stop the payment. The sooner you do this the more chance you have of getting your money back.
As it stands banks will only refund customers who have been defrauded on their credit card, debit card or a transaction has been actioned without their authorisation. This applies if the customer has not been "negligent."
If action is taken swiftly and there are funds remaining in the fraudster's account your bank may be able to claw back it back if it requests an indemnity. If you feel your bank has not done enough to help you make a complaint and take it to the Financial Ombudsman to investigate.
You should also report it to Action Fraud.
Have you been a victim of a scam? Email amelia.murray@telegraph.co.uk
