Tips to avoid being scammed online
In recent years, online retailers have offered significant discounts on Black Friday and the Monday following now known as ‘Cyber Monday’. UK shoppers are predicted to spend an estimated £10-11 billion this weekend and over two thirds will be spent online.
Mr Grunshaw said: “This weekend is an ideal time for criminals to target online shoppers from fake messages trying to get your data to more traditional scams, taking payment for fake or even non-existent goods. Even the most digitally savvy person could be a victim as scams or cyber-attacks become ever more sophisticated.”
“Make sure that you’re doing your shopping through an up-to-date browser using the latest security tools and antivirus software. Avoid any emails that you don’t recognise or offers of refunds where you haven’t bought anything. We all want a good bargain at this time of year but make sure you shop around and if something looks too good to be true, it probably is.”
Top tips to avoid being scammed online:
If something seems cheaper than expected it could be poor quality, fake or just non-existent
Search for the shopping sites don’t just follow links in emails
Check the websites – does the address and the site look genuine? Are there grammar and spelling mistakes? Do the logos and pictures look poor quality?
Use secure payment methods where possible such as Paypal or credit cards where your payments might be protected
Never bank transfer money to a stranger for online payments
If you’re buying tickets, always buy from official sources and never pay by direct transfer
Avoid clicking on bogus emails that are sent to your account, most scam emails will go to SPAM but some manage to make it through
