Shoppers warned to be cautious ahead of Black Friday and Christmas

Before clicking ‘buy now’ this festive season, be wary that scammers are on the prowl.

Over the past year, more than seven million people in the UK have fallen victim to scams. According to Citizens Advice, more than a quarter of these were targeted while shopping online.

What you need to watch out for

The most common online shopping scams involve fake websites, counterfeit goods and items that simply never arrive.

Many shoppers handed over hundreds of pounds for things like mobile phones, clothing, or furniture, only to receive often unsafe items, or ones that were different from described.

Out of those who were heavily impacted financially:

• 12% ended up in debt or had to borrow money
• 10% were force to use emergency savings
• and 20% said being scammed affected their ability to work or care for loved ones

These scams often happen fast, with 22% of victims pressured into sending money, and 42% were contacted through social media.

And it doesn’t stop there:

• 18% were hit by fake investment schemes, including ‘get rich quick’ and cryptocurrency scams
• 16% were tricked by someone pretending to be a friend or family member needing urgent cash
• 14% were scammed into signing up for fake mobile contracts

Red flags to watch out for

Citizens Advice warns shoppers to be alert about the following:

• someone you don’t know contacts you out of the blue
• you’re asked to transfer money quickly
• you’re being pushed to share personal info like passwords or codes
• the business has no postal address or contact details
• you’re being asked to pay in strange ways, like a bank transfer or gift cards - paying by debit or credit card gives you extra protection if things go wrong

Remember the golden rule, if something feels off or seems too good to be true, it probably is.

Further tips to stay safe when shopping online

While you can’t bubble-wrap your bank account, there are other things you can do to stay safer online:

• listen to your bank's fraud warnings, they're there for a reason
• be cautious with social media ads and messages from strangers
• never buy medication through social platforms, it's risky
• stick to trusted, well-known retailers
• check spelling and grammar, strange wording could signal a fake site
• check out a website’s credentials on a site like who.is

What to do if you’ve been scammed: 

• call your bank immediately, you’ll find a number on the back of your card

• report the scam to Action Fraud

• report social media scams to the relevant platform

• report fake websites to the National Cyber Security Centre

Want more tips on staying one step ahead of scammers? Check out our guide of how to outsmart online scammers.