Now that Thanksgiving has ended, consumers are getting in on the post-holiday shopping frenzy of Black Friday.
Millions of shoppers are expected to visit department stores, malls, and online sites to find the best deals available from retailers.
However, it is also a time of year when scammers are lurking trying to take advantage of unsuspecting consumers.
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An expert with Norton, a cybersecurity company, tells Fox News that approximately 50% of online shoppers are duped by scams annually with 30% of cybercrime involving personal data or money happening on Black Friday, another 11% happening on Cyber Monday, and 16% occurring on Christmas Day, and 14% on Christmas Eve.
Additionally, a new scam circulating is “smishing,” a texting scam in which criminals send text messages impersonating businesses to trick recipients into furnishing sensitive information, the New York Post reported.
How can I protect myself from Black Friday scams?
Online scams
An expert tells FOX News that a sign that an online retailer might be fake is that their deals are “too good to be true.” It is important for consumers to examine the URL of the website before visiting the site.
It is also important to pay attention to the sites before taking advantage of bargains that could protect your money and sensitive information.
Consumers can also crowdsource to spot scams. Reddit’s scam subreddit, Reddit.com/r/scams, has nearly 1 million subscribers, many of whom will quickly answer queries about suspicious websites from experience or using their own tech know-how, according to FOX News.
A quick Google search will often expose fake e-retailers too. The Better Business Bureau also has asearchable list of accredited and non-accredited businesses that can be used.
Always look for the lock icon in the browser address bar, indicating that the website is using a secure connection. Shoppers can also review the website’s URL to see if it starts with “https” instead of “http,” which would also indicate a secure connection.
You should also check the organization’s website for a physical address and phone number. If you are unsure about its legitimacy, you can do a quick Google Maps search to see if the business pops up.
Smishing scams
A way for consumers to avoid smishing scams is to look closely at the phone number or email address that the correspondence is coming from.
Checking the sender or email address and in most cases, there might be random characters and [email protected], which is suspect.
FOX News noted that email akin to these can be ignored, but the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s website explains it will not send customers or text messages without a customer first requesting the service with their tracking number. Even if emails are requested, the agency said, those correspondences will never contain a link.
Charity scams
Charity scams involving thieves impersonating well-known charities using email, text messages, or fake websites. Criminals also manufacture charities for noble causes to dupe unsuspecting donors into spending their money.
Another way to identify a fake charity is the manner they communicate, per the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Charities are exempt from the national “Do No Call” list, but they are still required to comply if consumers ask them to stop calling them, the FCC noted.
Citing the FCC, FOX News noted that the agency informs consumers to verify phone numbers and URLs for charities before donating to them. Services like Norton Genie or even Google and Reddit.com/r/scams can be helpful tools in doing so.
Meanwhile, donors should be cautious of charities that claim to help victims of recent high-profile disasters and to double-check the name of the charity to ensure that it does not have a “copycat name.”
Citing the National Retail Federation, the Associated Press noted that consumers will increase their spending in November and December by between 2.5% and 3.5% over the same period a year ago. During the 2023 holiday shopping season, spending increased 3.9% over 2022.
