Black Friday sales are ramping up this week. So is fraud

Online shoppers are being warned to be extra wary of scammers as Black Friday sales ramp up across the country this week.

Some scammers run dodgy websites to steal bank account information, others target customers waiting for package deliveries.

Here’s what you need to know.

We are easy targets during the sales season

“Fraudsters often take advantage of popular shopping events such as Black Friday in the hope of taking advantage of individuals who are focused on securing a bargain,” said Ruth Talalla, ANZ fraud portfolio manager.

And when people shop online, what they buy comes to them via a delivery service.

Sometimes it’s from Australia Post, but some retailers use specific courier services, which can cause confusion for people expecting packages.

“The Black Friday-Cyber ​​Monday period gives criminals two opportunities to rip people off in quick succession,” said NAB group investigations manager Chris Sheehan.

“One when Australians shop the sale and another when they are waiting for parcels to be delivered.

“They tailor the scam to what’s happening and what’s on people’s minds

“They know people are busy juggling the end of the year, finishing work and school, preparing for a break, and they’re taking advantage of that.”

Fraud involving debit and credit cards is most common in November, NAB says.

The peak time of the week for this kind of fraud is between 16.00 and 18.00 on Thursdays, according to the bank.

Many people are busy and distracted at this time, making them more likely to miss red flags, said Mr. Sheehan.

“They’re on their way home from work, trying to make dinner or pick up kids and maybe take the opportunity to shop online at the same time,” he said.

“Criminals know it and they will target it.

“If you’re multitasking or thinking through your never-ending to-do list, it can be easy to miss that price sounds too good to be true, or that the URL has extra or strange characters in it.”

Shopping fraud

Fraudsters created websites pretending to be well-known brands, hoping to lure unsuspecting customers.

“We see a lot of fake websites and ads on social media impersonating well-known brands at this time of year,” said Mr. Sheehan.

People want to place an order, pay with their bank card, and more often than not, nothing comes.

Shoppers are directed to these sites by clicking on ads that scammers have paid for – sometimes they’ll see these add-ons on social media platforms, and sometimes they’ll pop up among links in search engine results.

So be careful which ads you click on and don’t always go with the first link that pops up when you search for a brand.

And don’t rush through the buying process.

“We encourage customers to take a moment before making any online purchases, whether or not they are on sale, and verify the website to ensure the information is legitimate,” Talalla said.

Red flags to look for:

• Offers that seem too good to be true
• Missing or extra letters in website domain names
• Requests to make payments with cryptocurrency, gift cards or bank transfers
• Fake reviews

Postage fraud

Scammers will text victims using a technique called “spoofing” to make their dodgy message appear in a thread of genuine messages from Australia Post.

The text tells people they have a package waiting for them, but they need to confirm their address before it can be delivered.

This message may have a legitimate-looking link to a dodgy website, as in the example below:

The goal of this scam is to try to steal a person’s credit card information.

So, for example, the website might tell a victim that they have to pay a small fee to have their package redirected.

And these sites can be very well designed to look like an official Australia Post payment portal, like the one below:

Red flags to look for:

• You will be asked to click on a link
• Links with dodgy spellings
• Requests for personal information such as bank details and login details

Beware of ‘dark patterns’

The South Australian government is warning about tactics used by legitimate businesses to convince customers to spend more money.

Known as “dark patterns”, they are legal but can be manipulative.

Here are a few to be aware of:

• Hidden costs: Extra fees added at the end of the purchasing process, such as “priority processing”
• Currency conversions: Make sure the prices on the page are in Australian dollars
• Signs of Scarcity: Pop-ups that create a sense of urgency to get you to buy the item quickly before comparing prices
• Redirecting or nagging: When you aim to leave the site, you may get pop-ups that say things like “Wait, don’t go!” or “Here’s 20 percent off if you stay!”

“The best way to avoid falling for these tactics is not to rush into any purchase – there will always be another sale,” says the SA government website.

What should I do if I think I have been scammed?

Stop all contact with the scammer and if you are able to stop making payments or transfers.

Contact your bank immediately.

If you’ve had personal information stolen or need help recovering from a scam, contact Australia’s National Identity Theft and Cyber ​​Support Service IDCARE on 1800 595 160.

Take care – getting caught in a scam can be stressful and unsettling.

“There is no shame in being scammed,” says The National Anti-Scam Center (NASC).

“It can happen to anyone.”

NASC recommends that you contact Lifeline or Beyond Blue if you need support.

• Beyond Blue: Use Beyond Blue’s online chat service or call 1300 22 4636
• Lifeline: Use Lifeline’s online crisis support chat service or call 13 11 14

If a scam has gotten you into debt trouble, there are free and confidential financial advisors waiting to help you.

The Federal Government’s Moneysmart website lists free financial advisors near you or you can call The National Debt Helpline on 1800 007 007.

How do I report a scam?

Report a scam to NASC’s Scamwatch via an online portal.

You can also make a police report via the Australian Cyber ​​Security Center’s online portal.

The NASC also recommends that you talk to your family and friends about it.

“It helps to share your experience so they can give you support and also so you can help them stay safe from scams,” it says.

What is Black Friday?

It is the day after Thanksgivinga non-denominational holiday in the United States.

Schools and universities often close for the entire Thanksgiving weekend, according to Time and Date.com.

But while Thanksgiving is recognized as a federal holiday, the Friday after Thanksgiving is only a holiday in some states.

However, retail workers are unlikely to get a break for the day given the tendency for stores to extend their opening hours to accommodate hordes of shoppers.

Thanksgiving is always on the fourth Thursday in November, so the date of Thanksgiving – and therefore the day after it – changes from year to year.

When is Thanksgiving?

This year, Thanksgiving is underway November 28.

What date is Black Friday in 2024?

This year, Black Friday officially falls 29 November.

But if you subscribe to any retail email lists, you’ll be aware that Black Friday sales have already begun.

What is Cyber ​​Monday?

It is just a continuation of retail sales.

Cyber ​​Monday began as the online version of Black Friday nearly 20 years ago.

Here is as the Encyclopædia Britannica explains it:

“The term Cyber ​​Monday was first coined by the (US) National Retail Federation in 2005 when they noticed that people would continue their holiday shopping online while at work on the Monday after Thanksgiving because many people at that time had faster internet connection at work than at home.”

Why is it called Black Friday?

Black Friday is a bit of a nickname, not an official holiday name like Thanksgiving.

There are a few different origin stories floating around, but the general consensus is that it started in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Here is The University of Pittsburgh’s English Language Institute explains it:

“The term ‘Black Friday’ was first used in 1966 by the Philadelphia Police Department to describe the headaches caused by all the traffic caused by holiday shoppers.

“They used the word ‘black’ as a reference to the headache caused by ‘Black Tuesday,’ the date of the Great American Stock Market Crash of 1929.

“Some people say that store employees started using the term ‘Black Friday’ to refer to the dirty floors caused by all the shoppers the day after Thanksgiving.”

However, some prefer to say the name comes from the phrase “back in the black” because the sales push the earnings of retailers who may have been struggling into a profit zone.

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