The countdown is on for this year’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales set to go live from November 26. Australians are expected to spend over $5 billion during the 4-day sale, according to the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) who also revealed that November is the new December for Christmas shopping. ARA Chief Executive Paul Zahra states, “for the past two years, November has beaten December as the biggest month for Australian retail sales.” Black Friday and Cyber Monday are certainly to blame for the shift “as people snap up some bargains and shop early for Christmas.”

With these trends and predictions, we can be sure the iconic sales event will attract many Australian participants this year in the frenzy to snatch a great deal. With millions of eager participants worldwide, we can also be sure the event will attract scammers and cybercriminals hoping to trick unsuspecting shoppers in the rush to checkout.

As Australians have already seen record scam losses in 2021, we are being urged to take caution as our festive shopping gets underway. In the days leading up to the world’s biggest shopping event, equip yourself with our simple tricks to avoid empty stockings for Christmas.

Do your research first

If you plan to purchase from an unfamiliar website you haven’t purchased from before, make sure to do your due diligence. Here is what we recommend:

Find real reviews

Always search for reviews of the seller somewhere independent of the seller’s website. Search Google for reviews and look at a few different review sites for real feedback, particularly negative feedback. Anyone can put fake reviews on their website and even fake reviews on Google and other sites, however, if you look through and are finding repetitive negative feedback this is a red flag.

Find a better-known seller

It is always better to be safe than sorry. If you have found a deal on a website you have never heard of and are unsure if it is trustworthy, copy the brand and model number of the item you want and search in your browser to discover what other retail websites have the item available. It may be a few extra dollars, but the security of a trusted seller is absolutely worth it.

Stick to a trusted payment method

This is how the crooks steal Christmas: implementing untraceable payment methods that give you next to no chance of recovering your money after being scammed. Let’s avoid this:

Don’t pay via an unusual method

Big red flag here, DO NOT make a payment via a bank transfer or cryptocurrency. This is a telltale sign of a scam. Normal retailers will give you options that generally include credit or debit card, PayPal, AfterPay, or other versions of these methods. If any site is asking for you to transfer directly or pay via an unusual foreign currency or cryptocurrency: walk away.

Use a traceable third-party method

Using a reliable third-party payment service such as PayPal, Apple Pay, or Google Pay gives you an extra level of protection as your transaction is a little more traceable. Plus, with PayPal, you are backed up with their Buyer’s Protection allowing you to file a dispute through PayPal in order to get a refund if your purchase does not arrive or is significantly different from what was advertised. You can’t rely on this protection as a 100% guarantee but it does make for better peace of mind.

Don’t trust links

You are probably seeing ads and emails in the masses right now with eye-catching graphics and tempting deals asking you to “click here”. Unfortunately, you cannot simply trust every marketing piece you see. When you click a graphic to follow an advertised offer, you cannot see the link address you are clicking on. Cybercriminals can use this to hide links to dangerous websites and links to initiate a download of malicious software onto your device. Either way, your sensitive information, and device are compromised.

These links hidden by images and buttons can be found in marketing emails and anywhere online including social media and ads on websites. Keep your guard up and, instead, go to the website directly by typing in the URL or searching for the site.

Watch out for imposter sites

Will the real brand please stand up? A very common Black Friday scam tactic is creating a fake online store, enticing customers with great deals so they click that “pay now” button. How to spot a dodgy website:

Check the URL

First thing’s first, check the URL in your address bar for anything off. It could be one letter difference, like “Knart” instead of “Kmart” for example, or perhaps a different extension such as a “.cf” instead of a “.com”.

Look for the padlock

While you’re up there at the address bar, take a look to the left of the URL. You should see a padlock symbol before the website address. This means the website is secure. If you do not see the padlock, put your credit card away and find another website. Your details could be intercepted by a third party without protection, or the website itself could be stealing your credentials.

Check the branding

Are the logos legit? Is there even a shop name? Does the address on the website actually come up on Google Maps? Any identifying info could be faked to make you believe the site is reliable. Watch out for anything that doesn’t look right.

If it’s too good to be true it probably is

We understand: it’s Black Friday sales, these deals are meant to be too good! All we can say is be wary of exceptionally good deals. These should be the trigger to ask yourself: is this legitimate?

Take a pause. Do your checks. Only purchase if you are certain you are buying from a reputable website and make sure to use a secure payment method.

Though there are plenty of scams out there, this shouldn’t put you off the online retail space. Online shopping is fantastic: We get to find good deals from the comfort of our couch and have it all delivered to us! Buying online has become a popular choice during our change in lifestyle due to the pandemic and we have seen local businesses thrive with more opportunity than ever. So when you log on to Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales this month, have fun and keep your wits about you. We are always here to help, follow us on LinkedIn and Facebook to ask us questions, and follow all of our tips for staying cyber smart.