A warning today as Black Friday sales start to heat up. In fact it’s hard to work out exactly when the sales start as they creep forward every year.
As the hype builds, it’s very easy to get caught up in the frenzy as you try and grab that elusive bargain.
It is this very fervour that can easily make you drop your guard and click where you maybe shouldn’t.
Scammers prey on our emotions to grab a bargain, using exactly the methods genuine retailers utilise. A sense of urgency.
Cybersecurity company Trend Micro continues to put out some interesting and timely tips on how to stay safe and just how to avoid getting caught out.
Their latest research shows that more than one in three shoppers have “already spotted fake deals across social media feeds and inboxes this holiday season, and close to 1 in 5 believe they have been the victim of an online scam this year related to shopping or booking travel”.
The ACCC back up this data by stating that scam losses by Australians is up 16% year on year and total a staggering $259 million this year to date.
Ashley Millar, Trend Micro’s Director of Consumer Education said “It’s a reminder that urgency and emotion are powerful tools for scammers, and that even small lapses in caution can have costly consequences”.
Prepare yourself for data overload but the numbers speak for themselves
| Prime time for scamming | Statistic | Detail |
| Black Friday shopping | 49% | Australians plan to shop for gifts or make travel reservations online |
| Cyber Monday shopping | 37% | Australians plan to do their shopping online |
| Discount hunting | 46% | Say they’ll spend more time looking for discounts than last year |
| Scam exposure | 35% | Have already seen ads, emails, texts, social posts, or websites that looked like scams |
| Concern about personal targeting | 26% | Very or extremely concerned about being targeted by scammers this holiday season |
| Concern about family targeting | 31% | Very or extremely concerned that a family member or someone close could be targeted |
| How and when scammers strike | Statistic | Detail |
| Brand impersonation | 25% | Have seen fake content or messages impersonating well-known brands |
| Charity scams | 20% | Have seen online ads, emails, texts, social posts, or websites related to charities they believed were scams |
| Delivery scams | 68% | Received fraudulent messages or emails claiming problems with an item they ordered |
| Gift card payment scams | 21% | Asked to pay for something (e.g., holiday gift or travel reservation) using a gift card |
| Scam channels | 41% | Feel most targeted via email |
| 21% | Feel most targeted via social media | |
| 16% | Feel most targeted via text message | |
| Social platforms targeted | 59% | Australians say scammers strike most on Facebook |
| 14% | Australians say scammers strike on Instagram | |
| 8% | Australians say scammers strike on WhatsApp |
The Black Friday safety message is not new but with more advanced tools available to scammers in an attempt to dupe consumers, the messages from leading security software companies such as Trend Micro are being reiterated by other organisations across the country. This from Qld Police
| How people realised they were scammed | Statistic | Detail |
| Realisation – missing item | 21% | Only realised when the item they ordered never arrived |
| Realisation – post-payment research | 14% | Did research after already paying for the gift or travel reservation |
| Realisation – bank withdrawal | 13% | Only realised when money was withdrawn from their bank account by someone else |
| How people spot scams | Statistic | Detail |
| Research methods | 37% | Checked by researching online |
| Instincts | 35% | Trusted their instincts or found it obviously a scam |
| Scam-checking apps | 12% | Verified using an online scam-checking app |
“With nearly half of Australians shopping or booking travel online this Black Friday and many spending more time chasing discounts, cybercriminals are seizing the moment. Fake deals, spoofed delivery alerts, and impersonated brands are flooding inboxes, messages and social feeds”. – Ashley Millar
So you have been warned. If a deal appears too good to be true, it probably is but with more sophisticated tools available to scammers, spotting the fake from real is becoming increasingly difficult. Take a breath and be on your guard. The Federal Government have a terrific website to learn more about scams and to report suspicious activity. Go to https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/
The elder statesman of the EFTM team, Rob has been a long time listener, reader and follower – He’s “Producer Rob” for the EFTM podcast and looks after our social media posts. To be fair, he’s probably the most tech-savvy bloke in the crew too!
