9 Expert Tips to Avoid Black Friday Online Scams – IT News Africa

As retailers and enterprises across South Africa prepare for the annual Black Friday surge on 28 November.

Online transaction volumes continue to climb each year. During Black Friday 2024, PayFast recorded a peak of 2,185 transactions per minute, while just three of South Africa’s banks reported more than R30-billion spent.

Paul Grapendaal, Head of Managed Security Services at Nclose, shares 9 tips to help you avoid disappointment, theft, and fraud:

1. Make sure the software on your desktop, laptop, or mobile device is up-to-date and that you have antivirus software installed.
2. Don’t let the euphoria of getting a deal override your common sense—if a discount looks too good to be true, it often is.
3. Buy only from reputable retailers—particularly for big-ticket items. If you don’t know the store well, read their customer reviews on social media, look up their business address and phone number, and check that they really exist. Some scammers list fictitious business addresses, which can be checked by using a tool such as Google Street View.
4. Be particularly cautious about who you buy from on social media marketplaces: look at how long they have been around, and check their reviews and ratings from other customers.
5. Be aware that cybercriminals often use urgency to trick victims into clicking on dangerous links or parting with their personal and bank card information. Don’t simply click on emailed links to competitions or discount vouchers, especially if they use urgency to encourage you to do so.
6. Cybercriminals can quite easily create websites and emails that appear to be from legitimate businesses. Don’t simply follow links from emails—rather, go directly to the retailer’s website.
7. Check that the online retailer is using a secure payment gateway and that the site URL begins with ‘https’ and not ‘http’. Use a secure credit card to pay, and if you don’t have a credit card, sign up for a secure payment option such as a virtual credit card or PayPal.
8. To be extra vigilant when downloading or opening any attachments that claim to have a list of specials or a brochure with specials, rather go to the retailers’ site to peruse these specials. Often these attachments have embedded malware, which would circumvent traditional antivirus, etc.
9. Be wary of any of the traditional phishing scams that seek to ‘confirm your details’ to qualify for an additional discount or to qualify for the deal.