ORLANDO, Fla. — Cyber Monday lands on November 28th this year. It’s one of the biggest online shopping days of the year. It’s also a time when scammers are preying on unsuspecting buyers. In 2021, twenty percent of global e-commerce transactions between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday were potentially fraudulent.
One gift done, another one crossed off the list, but is all this cyber shopping safe? Last year, Americans spent about sixty-two billion dollars taking advantage of online deals during Cyber Monday. But they aren’t the only ones looking to cash in.
In 2019, scammers created more than 100 thousand fake lookalike shopping websites.
To avoid falling for a fake site, always look for the https lock symbol in your browser address window when making an online purchase. Also search for deals on retailer sites and not on search engines. If you are having a hard time finding an out-of-stock item, instead of searching the web and landing on a possible fraudulent site, try zooLert. zooLert allows you to set an alert for an item when it’s back in stock at one of your favorite retailers. And avoid getting ripped off by fake reviews by using Fakespot. The browser extension uses AI to detect fake reviews and counterfeit products.
Helping you bypass the cyber scams to score the real deals.
Another tip: don’t feel rushed to purchase something right away. Rushing can cause you to miss potential malicious links or even an incorrect url. If you miss out on some online deals during Cyber Monday, you’ll have another opportunity to get discounted deals during free shipping day on December 14th.
