Beware of the Black Friday Scams

Dental floss, microwave ovens and traffic lights are just a few inventions that America has given the world.Our cousins across the pond have also given us Black Friday where businesses...

Dental floss, microwave ovens and traffic lights are just a few inventions that America has given the world.

Our cousins across the pond have also given us Black Friday where businesses heavily discount their products and services.

The amount of online purchases surge on Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

However, it’s not everyone’s cup of tea and many customers and businesses across the UK are turning their back on it.

At Robinson Reade, our first port of call is always to use local independent shops in the local area before online giants and chain stores.

With ‘too good to be true’ offers circulating on the net this time of year it’s a wise move to be cautious before committing your hard-earned cash to buy something that seems a massive bargain.

Black Friday is boom time for cybercriminals and fraudsters. And they are coming up with increasingly clever ways to swindle unsuspecting victims.

Just this morning I received a ‘Scam’ text supposedly from Argos! However the link web address was spelt ‘arg0s.c0.uk’, I’ve reported it to them of course, but it’s so easy to fall prey.

So, here are four tips which can help you avoid Black Friday and online shopping scams.

• Make sure links are accurate. Don’t confirm any purchase if the link doesn’t have the secure padlock icon.
• Avoid using unsecured Wi-Fi networks. If you’re shopping away from home, make sure your mobile device has the latest software updates and give unsecured Wi-Fi networks a swerve.
• Never click through on email links. Instead, go directly to the retailer’s web site via your browser. A sensible rule of thumb is if you type “amazon.co.uk” into your browser, you’ll get to the real Amazon.
• Massive discounts often equal dodgy products. Many of these type of discounts on name branded products are counterfeits. Double-check the retailers’ details to make sure they’re well known and trustworthy.

Black Friday is something that doesn’t work in estate agency. Of course, people want value for money, but most vendors and landlords understand when something is very cheap, it often leaves them not feeling too cheerful.

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Thanks for reading

Jane Earley