Avoid these three holiday scams on Black Friday and Cyber ​​Monday

Black Friday and Cyber ​​Monday are about to begin. Consumers who shop during the winter holidays should be aware of online scams.

According to Adobe, US online sales are expected to reach $ 207 billion during this holiday shopping season from November 1st to December 31st. This is a record, a jump 10% above 2020. This year, Covid’s pandemic has allowed more consumers to shop digitally.

Adobe estimates that Cyber ​​Weekend (the period from Black Friday to Cyber ​​Monday) will account for about 17% of total sales for this holiday season.

According to a recent AARP survey, 75% of American adults predict that e-commerce through major retailers such as Amazon and Walmart will be similar to or will increase during the 2020 holiday season.

Criminals may try to take advantage of that amount and careless consumers.

According to the Federal Trade Commission, online shopping accounted for approximately 58,000 Covid-related consumer fraud reports from January 2020 to October 18, 2020, more than any other category of fraud. Consumers have lost a total of $ 48 million.

IRS Commissioner Chuck Retig warned on Friday that “we are on a sensitive vacation and tax period and are asking for the protection of our personal information,” and used that data. We warned about personal information thieves who could file fraudulent tax returns.

Here are three common scams to watch at this time of the year.

According to online security site Social Catfish, fake retailers using fake websites seduce consumers with ads for big sale of popular gifts that are out of stock or hard to find elsewhere. There is a possibility.

This issue can occur more than in the last few years due to supply chain issues and rising prices for some products. According to Adobe, consumers are expected to pay an average of 9% more during Cyber ​​Week 2021 compared to 2020.

“Out-of-stock notifications will remain high throughout 2021 and will continue to be a challenge throughout the season,” Adobe said in its annual holiday shopping forecast.

Other articles on personal finance:
Cities and states pass dozens of new protections for lessors
Towards Black Friday, one in three shoppers is still paying off last holiday’s debt
Consider these year-end tips to lower your tax bills and increase your refunds.

According to Social Catfish, fake site domain names may contain irrelevant characters and numbers, which may lead to grammatical errors in the site and limited contact information.

Social Catfish advised that consumers need to look up unfamiliar companies and read customer reviews, or search for the company name online with the word “scam.” Also, please do not purchase items by wire transfer, money order or gift card.

According to the Federal Trade Commission, social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube are “becoming a hotbed of deception.”

During the pandemic, the platform amplified harmful content, according to federal agencies.

According to Social Catfish, before and after holidays, brands and influencers usually offer free product gifts on Instagram. Scammers may advertise their chances of winning a holiday award, but they steal consumer personal data, including malicious links in Instagram posts.

According to AARP, about 38% of consumers report that they clicked on social media ads to make purchases in the last 12 months. This could lead to access to legitimate store clone sites or download malicious software to your device.

According to Social Catfish, consumers should be aware of social media accounts without blue checkmarks (the platform uses them to see the actual page from Copycat) for typos and accounts with little other content. You need to be careful.

Consumers are not always safe after buying something. Delivery of goods is also subject to fraud.

According to Social Catfish, scammers may pretend to be from FedEx or another shipping company and send you a text or email with a link to track your shipment. However, clicking the link allows criminals to steal consumer personal and financial information. Fraudsters can also leave a voice email or tag the consumer’s door with a “missing delivery” and call to confirm the information.

According to AARP, about one-third of adults receive fake notifications from someone that they are from the USPS, FedEx, or UPS.

Social Catfish should not click links or call back from unexpected delivery notifications. Please contact the company directly using the verified number or website.