Scam Alert 2020: Revealing Black Friday Scams!

Black Friday: the day when people spend billions in the name
of sale and discounts!

With Thanksgiving scams and Black Friday inching closer, the
shopping season has started ramping up for shopaholics across the globe! It’s
not just a normal holiday but it’s a cult business where people are expected to
spend a staggering $189 billion on a single day!

All that trading and money changing with cyber security invites cyber-predators
for a feast they have desperately waited for a whole year! They prey on
innocent online retailers and shoppers and capitalize through illegal means.
They sometimes try to hack into retailers’ websites directly to steal
consumers’ identity. And not to mention how they attempt to deviate you away
from legitimate sellers onto fraudulent sites or apps by posing to be familiar
retailers such as Amazon, Best Buy or Walmart.

The list of all the online scams goes on and on…

These scams inflict massive financial losses, both to
consumers and retailers.

But ENOUGH is ENOUGH!

It’s time to sharpen your gear and fight back!

In an attempt to prepare against these annual holiday scams,
Hayvine has identified 5 most fraudulent Black Friday and Thanksgiving scams
happening on the internet right now.

Scroll down and learn the ability to sniff the scammers out
whenever you run into them!

1.     

1. Fraudulent
websites and fake applications

The internet is flooded with fake websites and applications
posing to be legitimate retailers which lure customers into sharing their
credit card details. In phishing schemes, consumers often receive text messages
or emails from fake websites, claiming to be well-known retailer, and ask them
their personal information and payment details.

And unfortunately, many people easily fall for it!

According to a survey conducted by cybersecurity company
McAfee, it was estimated that 41% of Americans trapped into email phishing
schemes in 2019. And about 39% people reported that they don’t verify or check email
senders or retailer websites for legitimacy.

Moreover, 30% people reported losses of $500 or more just
last year.

Since this year’s Black Friday event will be heavily relying
on online platforms, expect an increase in emails and texts posing to be from well-known
retailers like Best Buy, Walmart, or Amazon over the best few months.

In case you receive any suspicious email asking you to
update your payment method or demanding other personal information, contact the
LEGIT company’s customer service and confirm if that email is true before you
proceed to transaction.

Here are some ways to identify phishing emails:

–        

-Scam emails may have grammatical or special
mistakes.

–        

-Misspelling or poor grammar in the subject line
or in email body.

–        

-Addressing with generic pronouns such as Mr., Mrs.,
and Dear Customer instead of your name.

–        

 -Emails
asking you to update personal or payment method details.

–       

 
Any email promising freebies, refund or any such
offers that seem suspicious.

 

2.  Credit
Card skimming goes all digital

Credit Card skimmers have been around for over a decade;
they used to steal personal information when a consumer swiped their credit or
ATM card at a local gas station or mart.

But now the same scamming tactic has
gone digital!

Let’s not forgot what happened to Macy’s website last year:
the scammers hacked into the retailer’s website, and inserted malicious code to
steal consumers’ personal and payment information.

It’s best in your interest that you avoid saving your credit
cards details on to the retailer’s websites. You may have to enter your details
every time at the time of transaction, but a little effort is always better
than getting robbed by scammers, isn’t it?

Here’s how you can avoid credit card skimmers online:

–        

-Don’t save your credit card details on the retailer’s
website.

–        

-You can use a third party payment method such as
PayPal, Apple Pay, and Google Wallet where necessary.

–        

-Enable notifications for transactions made from
your credit card.

–        

-Disable international transactions if possible.

–        

-Make transactions only through your personal
internet connection, instead of public WiFi.

 

3.    
Don’t get
fooled from unexpectedly high sales and discounts

Black Friday is the day where you get goods at cheaper rates,
but not at give-away rates! There are some retailers who slowly inflate their
original prices just days before the Black Friday so that it can seem like they
are offering a larger discount and lure you into a false trap!

You may be happy to get a 50% discount on a product being
priced more than its actual worth! Keep your eye on all the original prices
ahead of time to get an idea what product is worth your money and where you can
actually avail the best deals!

4.    

Keep a
check on altered exchange and return policies

Before making any transaction both online and in-store, you
should check their transaction and return policies. Sometimes, retailers change
their policies ahead of Black Friday deals. Even if you are aware of retailer’s
usual policies, a retailer may still temporarily suspend their exchange or
return policies prior to the biggest sale event.

5.    

Be
Extra Vigilant when it comes to Freebies!

There’s no such thing as ‘Free,’ there’s always a profit for
the retailer! If someone is offering you a free lunch in exchange of your
personal information or your email address, whether online or in-person, you’re
actually registering yourself for spam emails or allowing them to bug you all
the time in your inbox!

So, BEWARE!