Although on Black Friday you can get a large number of offers that will allow you to save hundreds of euros, you should be careful with scammers. Many take advantage of this event to try to deceive with false promotions that only aim to steal your money.
To avoid becoming a victim of Internet fraud when taking advantage of the Black Friday sales, in this article you will learn how to recognize potential scammers before it is too late. Thanks to this, you will not fall into the typical traps of prices that are too low to be true.
Tips for recognizing Black Friday scams
There are several determining factors that you cannot ignore to know if they are trying to deceive you, especially if several of them occur at the same time. They are the following:
Long shipping time
When a product has a delivery period that exceeds 15 days, it is likely that it is a scam, since it is common for both a company and a recognized seller to deliver the product in no more than seven days.
This way, if you see promotions or products that have a very long shipping date – unless you expressly know that they are sent from China, as happens on platforms like AliExpress – avoid them at all costs because they will use this as an excuse to order you Please wait longer or they will blame the package delivery service for the fraudulent delivery delay.
Avoid bank transfers
It is usual that the scammer wants to receive the money directly into his bank account so that you do not have any support that allows you to request a refund of your payment. If the company or the seller asks you for a bank deposit, do not accept this condition under any pretext.
The most important thing in this case is that your money is protected, the ideal is to use PayPal because, if they try to scam you, the thief will not receive the money and you will easily have it back in your account. You can also use your credit card so that the institution that supports you responds if they try to steal your funds.
Request for personal information
A recurring scam that they apply on Black Friday consists of asking the victim for personal information to receive a free gift. Logically, this is a theft, if they ask you to give your account number, credit or debit card number or enter a link of dubious origin, you can be sure that they are trying to scam you.
Never enter emails that are not official from the company or trusted seller and never send personal data of any kind. A reputable company will not ask you for this kind of information.
Misleading return policies
Return policies should be simple and transparent. If you don’t like what you bought or you don’t receive it in good condition, you can ask for your money to be refunded. There should be no limitations in this section.
If the store makes many complications in its return policies or simply does not accept returns, do not purchase the item, as it is likely to be a scam or you will receive the product in poor condition.
Fake shipping links
Due to the high demand that package delivery companies have during Black Friday, it is common for scammers to send thousands of fake links to a large number of people indicating that a delivery was missed and that they must enter the link to reschedule it. Surely a few who are waiting for a shipment will bite.
Never enter links of this type, regardless of whether you have received it through email, WhatsApp, SMS, iMessage, etc. Do not trust because if you do you will reveal valuable information to the scammer that they could use to access your mobile or computer.
The solution is very simple, remember that reputable companies such as DHL, FedEx, UPS, etc., will not communicate through a messaging app or the mail, they will only try to deliver later or on another day. Additionally, to track your package, simply enter the shipping service’s website and enter the tracking number to know the status of the shipment.
Exaggerated discounts
If you see the price of a product drop dramatically in a store, be cautious because it could be a scam. Offers have a limit because companies also want to have a profit margin.
The best thing in this case is to be skeptical, if you find an unreasonably low amount, don’t believe it. To clear up any doubts, you can even investigate the average price of the product in question in other establishments.
So, for example, if the digital PlayStation 5 Slim has a discount that puts it at 375 euros in the vast majority of stores and, suddenly, on one site you see it at 100 euros or less, you can be sure that it is a scam because the promotion they are offering is absurd and the amount does not correspond to the market average during Black Friday.
Camouflaged price increase
Before Black Friday, stores may increase product prices and then apply a false discount. You must be alert to this type of practice because if you are a victim of it you will not save money when making your purchases.
To detect this dishonest act, it will be enough to use a price tracker to find out what the real costs were before and during Black Friday.
