5 safety tips for Black Friday shopping
It’s that time of the year: Black Friday and Cyber Monday are almost here. On these days cybercriminals are on the hunt to steal your personal information and/or money. In this blog we therefore give you five tips to make bargains in an efficient and safe way without falling into their trap!
1. Choose for secure webshops you already know
Make purchases on webshops where you’ve already had positive experiences in the past to reduce the risk of cyberattacks. This way you can be sure that the payment will be secure and that the processing of your order will be smooth.
Choosing for your favorite webshops also has an advantage. You can make wish listsupfront and/or even add the desired items to your shopping cart. This way you can immediately see if any of these items have discount on Black Friday/Cyber Monday. Fast, efficient and safe!
Have you found an irresistible offer on an unknown webshop? Then be sure to read on!
2. Be careful with phishing mailings, always check links
Black Friday and Cyber Monday are absolute top days for cybercriminals. This is because bargain hunters look for the cheapest offers and do not always pay attention to cybersecurity.
In the run-up to these days, a lot offake webshops are being built to lure victims into a trap. In combination or stand-alone, hackers also make use of phishing mails. Because our inbox is flooded with promotions and discount codes, it is easier for hackers to mingle their mailing(s).
Therefore, always check the links in mailings before clicking on them and never open an attachment. You can double-check by hovering (computer) or holding (smartphone) the link. Are you dealing with a phishing mail? Delete it without clicking on any links or attachments.
3. If an offer is too good to be true, it probably is
Did you come across anirresistible discount when scrolling social media? Or have you spotted an unknown webshop bargaining with prices that are considerably lower than the competition? Then there is also a chance that you are dealing with cyber criminals, so be cautious!
Do you want to make sure you don’t miss out on a nice promotion? In point five we explain how you can check whether a website can be trusted or not.
4. Always use safe payment methods
A quality label or e-commerce label shows that a webshop is legally correct and reliable. As a (potential) customer you can therefore be sure that the webshop has been screened and approved. Well-known quality labels in Belgium are BeCommerce, SafeShopsand Unizo.
This label is obviously not enough. Invest time and money in a professional looking webshop to radiate confidence and attract new customers. Offer multiple payment methods, preferably also credit cards where entering a code is required. This still remains the safest (online) payment method to secure your purchase.
5. Do a background check of unknown webshops
We already mentioned it briefly: always be on your guard when you visit an unknown webshop! We advise you not to make a purchase immediately, but to obtain enough information first.
This can be done in different ways. We recommend to combine multiple, just to be sure:
- Investigatewhen the website and (possible) social media channels have been created
- Check the purchase process, terms and conditions of sale. For example, what if you want to return the purchased product(s)?
- Check if the website is secure and your personal information is protected. This is the case when there is a lock or https in front of the url in your search bar.
- Read online experiences of other consumersand pay attention to the date. Trustpilotis a good source of information here. Have all reviews just been posted? Check other things from this list to be really sure.
- Look for thequality label.
Enjoy (safe) shopping! 