Black Friday and Cyber Monday are here and that means one thing - DEALS!
It's been a few years since bargain hunters would queue for hours overnight at shopping centres. Now, nabbing 'the deal of a lifetime' can be done efficiently online from the comfort of your home.
But you know who else is operating from the comfort of their own home and laptop? Scammers. And they're just waiting to take advantage of unwitting shoppers across the biggest shopping event of the year.
The QPS has a couple of tips and tricks for shoppers to keep in mind as well, so that you avoid becoming a victim.
Never click on a suspicious link
Scammers might target you with emails with promotional links, appearing to be from a legitimate retailer.
They may also try to get your attention and trick you to click on a link which carries malicious malware. If the link looks suspicious to you or you're not sure of the source of the email, do not open it. Better to go directly to the retailer's website to verify the deal.
Beware of phishing emails
Phishing emails are designed to look like they were sent from a legitimate company, such as your bank or the retailer you shop frequently from. They'll ask to verify your details if an effort to steal your identity or financial data which the scammers can then use to commit other offences
Make sure the site is secure
A key rule when shopping online is to check that you're on an encrypted page, meaning that you should check that the page's URL starts with "https". If you don't see it, the site you're on may not be legit.
Avoid shopping on public Wi-Fi
Cyber criminals know how to thwart unsecured Wi-Fi to gain access to the information you send over it. So, it's better you eat into some of your data to make sure your financial information is secure, than logging onto a public Wi-Fi to shop the latest bargain.
Use a credit card or shop through a known Payment platform
Credit cards offer consumer protection if things go wrong with a purchase. Known payments solutions from established providers offer some digital safeguards, making sure your details are secure.
Use complex passwords for online retailers
Having strong, secure passwords is essential to keeping your online identity and accounts safe from scammer.
These online security practices should be followed throughout the year but it's essential to put them into practice during the holiday shopping season when cyber criminals are working harder than ever to try to steal your online credentials or infect your system with malware.
It's easy to get caught up in the Black Friday 'frenzy' so take care and protect yourself from scam this shopping season.
Stay safe online and we hope you grab yourself a legitimate deal.
To learn more about scams, visit www.scamwatch.gov.au.
If you have been the victim of a cybercrime, you can report this online at ReportCyber.
If you have lost money, notify your bank immediately.
