2023-11-01 13:00:00
A Black Friday this year is knocking on the door and, with it, so are the thousands of blows scattered around. They more than intensify during this period of promotions, after all, it is much more difficult to “disbelieve” in surreal promotions on a day when (at least theoretically) several products should be costing less.
When we talk about blows na Black Friday, those involving purchases on online sites quickly come to mind. They can involve famous websites like Amazon, Magazine Luiza and Americanas, and eventually deceive even the most well-informed of users.
In this publication, you will see some of the most common types of scams involving online shopping and also tips on how to protect yourself from them to buy safely already Black Friday!
Fraudulent websites
Copying the interface and even the way a website works is one of the most common forms of scams today. Scammers take advantage of users’ visual memory and make almost identical replicas of platforms like Amazon, Magazine Luiza, Casas Bahia and many others — enough to fool many unsuspecting users.
As the value of advertised products is often much lower than the traditional price and the interface is apparently from a trustworthy website, many users end up entering their credit card details or making transfers via Pix to shell companies that, unfortunately, never will deliver the product supposedly purchased to you.
The easiest way to recognize this type of scam is by carefully checking the website’s URL, the presence of the HTTPS protocol (not HTTP) and the padlock indicating that the page is secure.
As many scammers can even falsify the website address and use tricks such as swapping letters for similar symbols, typing the website’s URL into the search bar yourself can be a great way to get certified, in case of doubt.
Scams involving phishing
Another very common scam method involves sending a fake message or email. This technique makes the user think it is an official channel and provide their personal information — the famous “social engineering”, which has become quite common with the popularization of online shopping.
Such emails generally ask users to click on links, download attachments or even allege a supposed problem with a purchase and emphasize the need for customers to provide sensitive data in their response — all with a very similar logo, formatting and commercial language. those of the real company.
Be very careful with this type of scam, as e-commerce companies do not ask for confidential information (such as passwords or credit card details) via email. Only provide this type of information if you are sure that it is actually the store’s system in question.
If in doubt, calling the company’s support specified on the official website is a safer option to make sure there is something wrong with your account.
Fake products
Scams involving fake products have also caused headaches for many people on the internet. Unlike the first scam, which involves fakes of famous websites, in this scam real websites are used for scheming — especially on sites with options for marketplace or buy and sell.
The tactic is always the same: scammers advertise a new or used product — which may even be one advertised by someone else on another platform. After the user makes the payment, the scammer simply disappears and the customer is left without the product supposedly purchased.
Always prefer to buy products sold by the store where they are hosted, but, in cases where this is impossible, keep in mind that sites like Amazon and Magazine Luiza provide ratings for each seller — which is a good metric to know if they are reliable.
On buying and selling websites, when purchasing, give preference to the platform’s official payment intermediaries (such as Mercado Pago and OLX Pay), as they provide a guarantee that your money will only be delivered to the seller if you give everything right with your purchase.
Attendant scam
Let’s finish by talking about the call scam, which, in addition to being common involving account holders of the most varied banks, is also very targeted at customers of online sales sites. Basically, they consist of scammers posing as support employees of sales companies through telephone calls.
These scammers can make a variety of claims in their calls, such as claiming there is a problem with your account or talking about a suspicious transaction. Criminals may ask to remotely access the user’s account with the justification of resolving the problem or even ask for confirmation of credit card details and the like.
As with email, it is not common practice for a sales company to call a customer asking for confidential information or account access. Again, in case of doubt, it is a good practice to seek the official support of the store/company to confirm any suspicions.
Protect your accounts
Other very common scams in Black Friday include account-related vulnerabilities. The use of passwords that are easy to guess (or break), such as numerical sequences or data from personal documents, is practically a call to have your accounts in stores “hacked”, with irreparable damage as a result.
Another very common (but equally insecure) practice is storing images and photos of credit cards or even sending them to friends. With malicious software, scammers can easily access these files and, consequently, make online purchases using your card number.
Therefore, using a password manager is another way to stay protected. In addition to generating different and secure passwords for each site, they also generally have the ability to store credit card data — in a safe and practical way, to allow easy filling in for each purchase.
Protect yourself using NordPass
O NordPassNord Security’s password manager, is an example of software that can help you stay protected on the internet. Black Friday. In addition to the aforementioned features, it has facilities such as password security analysis, secure sharing with trusted contacts, strong encryption and biometrics support.
The most interesting side of NordPass, however, is that it is quite affordable and is with great discounts. You can purchase the Premium plan with 50% off in the 2 year plan (R$132.30), equivalent to R$4.90 monthlyor save 40% not annual plan (R$88.50), for just R$5.90 monthly. Plus, you get three extra months on your subscription!
There are also plan options for your whole family, as well as a free option, which allows you to store passwords, passkeys and credit cards and automatically fill them in on websites — as long as your account is logged in on one device at a time.
Safety always, huh! ????♂️????
TRANSPARENCY NOTE: This is an article resulting from a commercial agreement with an advertiser, which did not influence our opinion. O MacMagazine receives a small commission from sales completed through links in this post, but you, as a consumer, pay nothing more for the products by purchasing through our affiliate links.
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