Black Friday – What you need to know

 

Black Friday- What is it?

Deriving from the concept that businesses operate at financial loss until the day after Thanksgiving, Black Friday is a worldwide craze brimming each year with new and exciting bargains to snatch!

Now commonly known on the web as ‘cyber five’ through its tendency to massively online shopping revenue, in recent years black Friday has taken the internet by storm, flooding with online shops and businesses dying to get on the trend.

 

This year on Friday 24th of November 2023 there will be many shops providing massive discounts, begging to be grasped, and perfect for you to exploit. However, not all that you see is what meets the eye as it also has become a smart, efficient way for scammers to join in on the profit.

 

You should watch out for slight discrepancies in URL codes, which are signs of hackers duplicating your tab making you think that you are still on the genuine website. Additionally, paying before receiving the product can be a sign of scammers, as paired with a fraudulent receipt, they are clever ways that scammers can get your money.

 

 

You can easily spot signs of fraud by:

 

  1. You’re offered a very heavily discounted price. The deals often sound too good to be true.
  2. You’re asked to pay by bank transfer instead of using the online platform’s secure payment options.
  3. You receive an obviously fake email receipt/invoice that appears to be from the website you’ve purchased from/payment service used to make your purchase. The email address domain doesn’t match that of the genuine senders.
  4. The website that you’re purchasing from was only a short time prior.
  5. There is a sense of urgency of purchasing the product, such as planted FOMO.

 

On a positive note there are many genuine brands to look out for next week with a poll I have conducted personal favourites being Argos, John Lewis, Toys are us and many more.

 

So, this black Friday I challenge you to explore businesses in your own community, not only will you be supporting a local business, but you may even be surprised in what you find!