Black Friday and Cyber Monday have arrived again, with their promise of great deals on products and services. But, while you’re online trying to snap up an amazing discount, there are plenty of scam artists lying in wait for the moment you click the Buy button. So, how can you avoid the most common threats and stay safe while you shop this holiday season? Norton has been protecting people’s data for many years and here’s some of its useful tips on how to stop yourself being scammed.
Common scams
A rising threat is fake social media ads. These appear in your feed with fantastic offers, accompanied with a time pressure – ‘Only available today!’ The ad can also masquerade as if from a popular site on which you’d normally shop.
The idea is to hurry you into making a snap decision rather than consider the authenticity of the deal. Clicking through on the ads usually takes you to fake versions of the sites that can harvest your account and payment details.
There’s also been reports of scams telling victims they’ve won a free Shein gift card. But when they fill out their details to pay for the shipping, they get signed up to ongoing subscriptions which takes money out of the victim’s account without them realising.
It’s not just on social media where these sophisticated attacks take place, as victims can be targeted through emails or messages sent to them promoting fake deals as well.
How to protect yourself from online scams
Here are some simple tips that can help you avoid the online scams.
Beware of sensational deals
If something looks too good to be true, then it probably is. Be very wary of deals that seem incredibly generous.
Don’t click on ads
Instead of clicking on an ad, try navigating directly to the company’s website in your browser. This can help avoid fake ads posing as if it’s from a popular company.
Check the URL
Always check the URL (website address). Fake ones will often have close but different spellings of the site it’s pretending to be.
Only use secure payment methods
Be sure to only use secure online payment methods (Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal etc.) rather than wire transfers. If anything goes wrong, the secure methods will offer some form of protection.
Check reviews
Before making a purchase, try checking online for reviews about the seller to see the experiences other users have had.
Use dedicated software to keep you safe
It’s hard to constantly stay sharp and aware online, so alongside the tips above, we’d recommend using dedicated security software to do most of the heavy lifting for you. Norton 360 Deluxe is a prime example as it covers up to five devices (PC, Macs, tablets or phones) and blocks fake sites so you can’t get fooled by scammers. There’s also malware and virus protection, plus a VPN to keep all your online data encrypted when using public Wi-Fi networks. This is currently reduced by 75% as part of the Black Friday/Cyber Monday promotion, so you can get your first years’ subscription for only £19.99/$29.99.
Another option is Avast Premium Security, which covers up to 10 computers or mobile devices, which has an email guardian to prevent spam offers, warnings against potentially dangerous messages, plus website scans to make sure they’re legitimate. Again, you can get a discount at the moment, with the price down to £54.99/$69.48 for the first year.
Hopefully, if you follow the advice above you’ll have a great holiday shopping experience, with no nasty surprises under the tree.
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