Republished on November 30 with new data highlighting the scale of cyber threat over this year’s holiday shopping season.
With Black Friday now here, it is clear that the dangers facing online shoppers are greater than ever. The latest reports suggest scam websites have surged 89% over last year, and almost 80% of shopping offers hitting inboxes are fraudulent. We have even seen Google search results poisoned to send traffic to dangerous websites.
Little surprise then that the FBI has released a new warning for online shoppers, setting out the sellers that must be avoided on Black Friday, Cyber Monday and throughout the holiday season. For all users of Chrome, Safari and Edge, which control 95% of the US browser market, this is a must-have checklist to stay safe.
The FBI’s advice on which sellers to avoid comes down to seven key points, think of this as your online safety check during the holiday season—don’t take any risks:
- Don’t buy from websites until you’ve carefully checked the URL to ensure “it’s legitimate and secure.” Websites should have the telltale secure connection padlock in the address bar and https at the beginning of the full address. If the website is not secure to the URL is not obviously right, move on.
- Do not buy from a website for the first time until you’ve done some research and checked any available online reviews. Remember, reviews can be faked as well, so don’t gloss over the first you find.
- If you’re using an auction site or similar marketplace, “be wary of sellers with mostly unfavorable feedback ratings or no ratings at all.” You want sellers with a large numbers of completed transactions and favorable reviews.
- Don’t buy from sellers “who act as authorized dealers or factory reps of popular items in countries where there would be no such deals.” This is a well-known scam whereby these shopfronts take orders and rarely ship goods, and those they do ship are usually counterfeit.
- Also beware of any sellers “who post an auction or advertisement as if they reside in the U.S. but then respond to questions by stating they are out of the country on business, family emergency, or similar reasons.” Again, this is a typical scam whereby the seller will offer a plausible excuse for having an overseas address or phone number. Move on.
- Don’t buy from websites that specify unusual shipping arrangements or who offer to bypass customs checks or fees, similarly don’t buy from sellers you don’t know who request direct money transfers. Always use a credit card which brings additional checks and protection.
- Don’t pay for items you buy with pre-paid gift cards. As the FBI explains, “in these scams, a seller will ask you to send them a gift card number and PIN. Instead of using that gift card for your payment, the scammer will steal the funds, and you’ll never receive your item.”
