Shoppers are getting ready for Black Friday, which is quickly approaching. Over 183 million people are anticipated to buy this year during the Thanksgiving–Cyber Monday weekend, according to the National Retail Federation. However, scammers are getting ready for Black Friday as well, searching for chances to steal your money or private data.
Learn how to recognize typical scams and take precautions before you start your holiday shopping.
1. Phony order and delivery notifications
Phishing emails and texts are frequently sent by scammers posing as delivery agencies or well-known online stores like Amazon. These messages, which usually state that there is a problem with the order’s delivery or processing, may ask for payment details or contain harmful links.
Something along the lines of “Part of your address is missing” could appear in a message. “To complete the address, please click on this link,” says Raj Dasgupta, senior director of worldwide advising at the fraud prevention company BioCatch.
According to Dasgupta, you should be suspicious if you receive a similar notification when you aren’t expecting a box. But don’t ignore caution indications, even if you’ve placed an order.
According to Cliff Steinhauer, director of information security and engagement at the nonprofit National Cybersecurity Alliance, shipping charges are nearly always billed to the shipper rather than the recipient, thus it is uncommon for delivery firms to hold up shipments or demand payment.
Don’t click on links in emails or messages, and don’t divulge money or personal information. Steinhauer advises returning to your initial order on the website to confirm if an order update is authentic. He explains that if there is an issue, you can contact customer support directly and log in to monitor the status of your order.
2. Fake websites and products
Examine merchants and products carefully when you shop online to prevent receiving fake goods or nothing at all.
According to Steinhauer, sponsored advertisements on social media platforms and search engines aren’t usually thoroughly examined, which increases the likelihood that you’ll encounter frauds.
According to Dasgupta, scammers purchase Google advertising for well-known search phrases like Black Friday sales or for coveted goods like workout gear. According to him, when individuals click on these advertisements, they may end up on a phony corporate page or a sophisticated-looking false website that imitates a popular website, like Macy’s. Customers either receive a subpar product or never obtain the item they were trying to buy.
Pay great attention to URLs and disregard sponsored links. According to Steinhauer, there will typically be an irregularity, such a small misspelling or dashes in the domain name that aren’t typically there. According to him, the ideal course of action is to just shop on the trustworthy website or app that you are certain is the best one.
Additionally, keep an eye out for third-party seller scams on trustworthy websites. Some businesses, like Walmart and Target, let third parties sell goods on their platforms, however the dependability varies. You may steer clear of bad actors by reading seller feedback before making a purchase.
Sellers who want peer-to-peer payments or gift cards should be avoided. Dasgupta thinks it’s a clear warning sign if the only accepted payment method is a service like Venmo or Cash App. Furthermore, if an offer looks too good to be true, it most likely is.
3. Misleading QR codes
Quick response codes, or QR codes, are barcodes that, when scanned with a smartphone’s camera, often direct users to a website. Quishing is the practice of scammers creating QR codes that install malware on devices or connect to phony websites. These codes could appear in your email inbox, on parking meters, or in enigmatic items that are delivered to your real address.
For instance, you might receive an email with a code telling you to change your login information from a scammer acting as your bank. According to Steinhauer, email systems frequently filter out known harmful URLs or sites and forward them to your spam folder; but, because a QR code is an image, it can bypass these filters.
Avoid scanning codes you receive by surprise, and pay special attention to QR codes in public areas to look for indications of tampering.
Other ways to stay safe from holiday shopping scams
To protect yourself against scammers, heed the preceding recommendations and take these extra precautions.
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Freeze your credit.
Acredit freeze
restricts access to your credit report, helping to prevent anyone from opening credit accounts in your name. You can place a free credit freeze with each of the three major credit bureaus.
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Watch for unusual account activity.
Check your free credit reports
and credit card or bank statements for accounts you didn t open or purchases you didn t make.
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Shop in person.
Consider shopping at trusted brick-and-mortar stores, if you have the option. You ll know the company and its products are the real deal.
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Use a credit card.
Paying with a credit card is safer than a debit card, gift card or peer-to-peer services. Credit cards offer stronger fraud protection, including the ability to dispute charges, and the money doesn t come directly from your bank account.
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Don t share personal details.
It s normal to provide some information for online orders, like your address and credit card number. But legitimate purchases will never require sensitive information such as your date of birth orSocial Security number
. If you get a message asking for these details, passwords or account numbers, don t reply.
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Report any scams you encounter.
Flag scam ads you see on sites like Google and Instagram. If you ve been scammed, file a report with the Federal Trade Commission atreportfraud.ftc.gov
.
More NerdWallet Black Friday stuff
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Best (and Worst) Black Friday Deals of 2024
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What Dynamic Pricing Means for Black Friday Shopping
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6 Things You May Not Realize Are Discounted on Black Friday
NerdWallet is written by Lauren Schwahn. [email protected] is the email. @lauren_schwahn on Twitter.
NerdWallet first published the post Holiday Shoppers Beware: 3 Traps to Avoid as Scammers Prepare.
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