How to avoid falling for online shopping scams during Black Friday and Cyber Monday

There’s nothing quite like a major online sale to have us reaching for the credit cards in the hopes of nabbing a bargain (or ten), but with Black Friday and Cyber Monday fast approaching, the need for increased diligence around our online safety is at an all-time high. 

According to , Australians are predicted to lose a record amount of money to scams in 2019, with the final figure set to exceed $532 million by the end of the year. To help ensure you’re not one of these unfortunate Aussies, here are some of the easiest and most effective ways to spot an online scam and keep your online information safe.

Get back to basics 

There are a number of simple steps you can take to protect your online privacy as well as your finances. These include everything from using your credit card instead of a debit card for purchases, to not storing your credit card information online. You’re much better off putting in the effort to find your card when you actually need it than having your important details saved on the web. 

With this in mind, always make sure you shop from secure websites and spend some time looking at the privacy and securities policies of the company you’re buying from. To add an extra layer of protection, go into your browser and deactivate the autocomplete/autofill details feature, if you haven’t already. 

If you’re buying directly from a social media-based store and it seems quite new or it’s selling a range of products at super low prices, do your homework. Check to see if they have any info on their return and delivery policies and whether they’ve been tagged in any angry posts. 

Don’t forget: If you’re dealing with an Aussie organisation and something goes wrong, it’s much easier to sort out the problem than if you’re shopping with an overseas company. 

Last but by no means least, an oldie but a goodie: Don’t make any purchases or complete any transactions if you’re using unsecured or a public Wi-Fi network. Just wait till you get home. 

Too good to be true

If there’s one thing as common as online shopping, it’s online scams. In fact, they’ve become so routine that protecting our digital identity and bank details has seamlessly morphed into part of our everyday life. If you’ve been swindled or duped in the past, you’ll know how important it is to monitor against online security risks, especially during the holiday sales period when we’re spending more time and more money online. 

Your first line of defence? Your gut instinct! If a deal feels or sounds too good to be true, it probably is. 

Before hitting that ‘buy now’ button, take some time to research the brand, product and website you’re buying from, as well as any online reviews from other customers. Most consumers are pretty good at alerting potential buyers to poor performing sites or products, so have a look around to see whether you’ve found a score or a scam. 

Protect Yourself

Knowing you have a secret weapon helping to keep your online financials and information safe is one of the most reassuring feelings in the world. Bitdefender currently protects over 500 million systems in more than 150 countries thanks to their nifty cybersecurity solutions that provide kick-ass malware detection. The product line can thwart all kinds of sophisticated online threats through multi-layered ransomware protection, data privacy features (like anti-trackers and microphone monitors) as well as parental control and anti-cyberbullying solutions. 

While that all sounds great, it’s their latest release, Bitdefender 2020, that really takes the cake. Whether you’re on a laptop, tablet, smartphone or desktop, it protects your data by using behavioural detection to monitor active apps and then takes action the second it detects anything suspicious. This handy program also protects your documents, pics, videos and music from ransomware encryption through a new Ransomware Remediation feature. 

A security solution can also ascertain whether the website you’re visiting is legitimate or not. By checking both the URL and the actual content within the website, a security solution will keep you away from phishing, fraudulent, or otherwise malicious websites especially during Black Friday, Cyber Monday, or the holiday shopping season. 

For Windows users, there’s a new Microphone Monitor designed to help you regain control over your own devices (use it and you’ll be able to see what untrusted apps access your device’s microphone and when). For Windows and macOS users, an anti-tracker extension blocks phishing scams and trackers that collect data. You can then view and manage this information across each website you visit. 

And just like that, you can say goodbye to any fears about having your personal information or credit card info stolen. Huzzah!

Spot a fake

It’s hard to believe there are people out there who are prepared to dedicate their time to creating fake websites, but alas, there are. What’s even more scary is that these fakes are so convincing, we often find ourselves getting duped. To make sure you’re not conned by a fake site (even if the logos and pictures look super legit), there are some rules to live by. 

Avoid really new websites that don’t have much of an established past or presence, check that the URL code is real on the page, and be wary of super low prices or ‘half price’ deals. These tend to be a dead giveaway. 

If you’ve done all your checks and you’re still a bit wary, make sure the payment link you’ve been taken to starts with ‘https’ and finishes with a CLOSED padlock symbol. This can help you double check the safety and legitimacy of the page. 

If you’re still not 100% sure, always opt to use PayPal instead of your debit or credit cards. It’s better to be safe than sorry.