Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, Giving Tuesday … the next week is gonna be crazy! While you’re finding great deals online, Pitt IT wants to help you protect your hard-earned cash from the scammers that pop up every year. About 36% of Americans have fallen prey to an online shopping scam according to a recent Norton survey — bah humbug! Here is what’s on our holiday wish list for you when shopping online.

Know How Much Items Should Cost 

When shopping online, have a general sense of how much the things you want to buy should cost. Not only will that make you a comparison shopping extraordinaire, but you can also get a sense if an online store has prices that are too good to be true. Tools like  Camelcamelcamel and Keepa, which track a product's price over time on Amazon, or Honey, which has price history and coupon codes for other retailers, can help you determine whether that price is as fantastic as it seems.

Beware of bait and switch, or outright theft, when you see a price that can’t be beaten. In some cases, you might pay less, but then get something that doesn’t match the description or is a counterfeit. Even worse, you may not get sent anything at all!

Avoid the Grinch-Bot Resale Market

Last year, a record number of so-called “Grinch Bots” were recorded. These automated programs quickly buy up popular toys, sneakers, or other hot items and then resell them for a huge markup. A vastly inflated price tag should be the least of your concerns regarding online reselling/auction sites. Buying supposedly new items on the resale market (especially around the holidays) opens you up to an increased risk of fraud and counterfeit goods. The best way to defang Grinch Bots is to only buy items from vendors you can verify.

Check Your Vendor and Charity List Twice

Holiday sales and charitable appeals are popping up everywhere — online, social media, text messages,  and email. Unfortunately, not all of them are for legit businesses. Scammers go to great lengths to build intricate fake shopping websites and market them aggressively to unsuspecting shoppers. They rely on FOMO around Black Friday deals to drive traffic to their site, where they mine your data.

Here are some ways to tell if you’re dealing with a reputable business.

• Skip the QR Code: QR codes are quick and convenient. They also completely obscure where you’re being sent. They can direct you to a malicious site or embed malware downloads. Unless the QR code has been provided from a trusted source, skip them!
• Site reviews: Use the Better Business Bureau, Yelp, Google, etc. In addition to bad reviews, also pay attention to how many and how far back the reviews go — be on alert for businesses with no/few reviews or reviews that only go back a few weeks/months.
• Accepts credit cards: If a site only accepts online payments (Zelle, Paypal, Venmo, etc.), that is a huge red flag. Credit cards are a safer way to make purchases, as you can dispute a charge.
• Visible contact info: Legitimate businesses and charities have a phone number and address you can contact. If a site only has an online form or email address, move on.
• SSL certificate (https://): SSL is an encryption method for sites that accept payments. If a website has SSL, you’ll see a closed lock icon in the URL bar, and the URL will begin with ‘https://’. SSL certification isn’t a guarantee of a trusted site, but a site without it is a no-go.
• URL matches the businesses: Don’t use the links within an online ad. Instead, look up the business or charity name on Google and go to the site independently. Be particularly careful of QR codes – they can easily link to malicious websites or malware downloads.

Keep an Eye on Your Bank Statements 

Your first line of defense against identity theft and fraud is to pay close attention to your financial records, like bank and credit card statements. You can usually follow this data up to the minute online. Flag any suspicious activity (like being charged for a purchase you didn’t make) and contact the institution immediately. During the holiday season, go to your banking app at least once a week to quickly peruse recent activity.

Banks and credit card companies monitor debit and credit cards for unusual spending activity. Alerts are often sent via text, email or phone call. Review and respond to these alerts as soon as possible to stop any potential fraud. (Do not to provide your account number or PIN to any unexpected call from a financial institution. Real banks and card companies don’t ask for this information. Instead, they ask you to verify suspicious purchases.)

Don’t Overshare

While you need to share certain data to make a purchase online, you should be wary of any retailer that is requesting more information than you feel comfortable sharing. If an online store requires you to share more information than seems reasonable for a purchase (delivery address and payment information), find another retailer online or in real life! 

In addition, make sure you’re not inadvertently sharing with criminals by shopping online using public Wi-Fi. You should only shop or access important accounts (like banking) while connected to a secure network. If you must buy a few gifts while away from home, use a VPN or mobile hotspot and make sure people can’t see your credit card or keyboard as you shop.

Be Thankful for Safe Holiday Shopping!

This holiday weekend, may you be stuffed with good food, spend quality time with friends and family, and find the perfect gifts for everyone on your list … all while shopping the Black Friday sales safely and securely!

-- By Karen Beaudway, Pitt IT Blogger