Beware of the #1 Black Friday Scam

The Federal Trade Commission said there were 57,769 reports of online shopping fraud between January 1 and October 18, followed by travel scams (46,458) and diet scams (15,713) , government fraud (12,491) and business fraud (8,794).

And the number 1 way to contact the victim? Believe it or not, it’s outdated email. Those pesky phishing links were the lead to 19,107 fraud reports during that same period.

Followed by fake websites (17,444), text messages (16,742), phone calls (14,156) and social networks (10,520). Shopping scams, most of which were online, cost more than $47.3 million, the FTC said in a statement. recent report.

“In addition to losing money on bogus purchases, unsuspecting consumers may provide personal information and debit or credit card details,” the Federal Bureau of Investigation said in a statement. public service.

“During the 2020 holiday shopping season, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) received more than 17,000 complaints regarding non-delivery of merchandise, resulting in more than $53 million in damages.” it added. It expects the number to increase this year.

Black Friday is fertile ground for scams. Consumers spent $5.1 billion online on Thanksgiving and are expected to spend between $8.8 billion and $9.6 billion online on Black Friday, according to the report. Latest data from Adobe analytics.

For the holiday season (November 1 to December 31), purchases are predicted to reach $207 billion, up 10% year-on-year and a new all-time record. Scammers pose as shoppers and masquerade online with fake UPS or Fedex links.

How to say wary

Be wary? The ‘s’ in ‘https’ adds an extra layer of security – https:// instead of http:// – to detect websites that look legitimate and/or claim to be part of a well-known brand. The bargain price on that Gucci handbag means it could be a fake.

Don’t be persuaded to pay with bitcoin
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or Western Union
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Stick to secure payment methods like PayPal
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and use a credit card instead of a debit card because the former tends to have more protections against fraud.

FBI also suggested: “Never make a purchase using public Wi-Fi. Only buy gift cards directly from trusted sellers. Never use the same password on multiple accounts. Don’t judge a company by their website”.

“Beware of sellers who post under one name but claim to send money to another individual, or any seller claiming to be in the country but asking for money to be transferred to another country,” it added.

The FBI says video chat with owners before buying a pet. “Criminals will use legitimate website photos to promise that pets don’t exist for many buyers. Red flags include shipping/airline fees, taxes, and/or vaccination costs. ”

Bottom line: fake phone calls, emails, and websites are all designed to catch you off guard. For instance, you might get stressed or tired after a long day at work and panic if you see an announcement that intends to shop during your holiday.

If you are the victim of an online scam, report it to FBI IC3 As quickly as possible, report activity to the online payment service used for the transaction and contact your financial institution immediately.