As shoppers dive into the digital frenzy of Cyber Monday deals, cybersecurity experts are raising red flags about the surge of deceptive schemes lurking online. According to Spectrum News1, these come in various forms, such as fake websites, phishing emails, and offers that claim to be too generous to be credible.
Cybersecurity professional Israel Arroyo has observed an "uptick in a lot of sophisticated scam attempts" this shopping season. "Go to the sites you know and do the business direct. Go to Amazon and buy your product, go to Best Buy, go to the URL, go to the website that you know is legitimate — Bestbuy.com, amazon.com," Arroyo told Spectrum News1. He stresses the importance of multi-factor authentication to ensure the website's credibility before making any purchase and advises against saving card information on websites, to prevent scammers from exploiting it.
Consumers are indeed flocking to these online deals, as Adobe Analytics reports nearly 74 million people are expected to shop on Cyber Monday. With customer spending on Black Friday reaching $11.8 billion, as News 5 Cleveland notes, the temptation for scammers to take advantage of shoppers is at an all-time high.
However, there are ways to mitigate the risks. "Steer clear of untrustworthy sites or ads, no matter how good a deal seems," recommends cyber expert Alex Hammerstone in an interview with News 5 Cleveland. The Better Business Bureau also advises shoppers to look for secure "https" in web addresses, and a correct spelling of URLs, as well as avoiding payment methods that do not offer safeguards, like gift cards or money transfers, according to NewsNation.
If you do find yourself entangled in a deceptive deal, "first reach out to your bank and report the issue. Then file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission and the Internet Crime Complaint Center," advises NewsNation. Prompt action, specifically within the first 72 hours, can increase the odds of recovering any lost funds, the FBI informs.
