Recommendations for making safe online purchases during Black Friday

On these pre-Christmas dates, cybercriminal networks often take the opportunity to increase their activity and try to deceive consumers.

Euskaraz irakurri: Black Friday merkealdian online erosketa seguruak egiteko gomendioak

Given the foreseeable increase in Internet sales that will take place in the coming days ahead of the Black Friday sales day, the Ertzaintza has given a series of tips to avoid being victims of possible scams.

As he explained in a note, on these pre-Christmas dates, cybercriminal networks often take the opportunity to increase their activity and try to deceive consumers.

In addition, the so-called Black Friday is celebrated on November 25, a holiday of North American origin, consisting of a day of discounts both in physical stores and on the Internet.

Cybersecurity tips and self-protection measures so that online purchases are made safely and reliably:

–Buy through safe and well-known platforms. Be suspicious of shops that offer practically free products and avoid buying from those whose origin is unknown or generates distrust.

–Stay alert with mass messages. Avoid falling for dubious offers that are shared through social networks, assessing the viability of those that promise products or services at very low prices, recommending checking them on the brand’s official website.

–Read comments from other buyers. On many occasions it helps to find out if the website is trustworthy and avoid possible fraud.

–Check the reliability of the website before paying. Check that the domain corresponds to the real business and contains the exact address of the business without changes or misspellings, and that the URL begins with https://.

–Use a trusted WIFI network or your own data. It is recommended not to use a shared Wi-Fi network to make online purchases, thus avoiding sharing bank details on a public network.

–Make use of a prepaid or virtual card whenever possible. Periodically review the charges on the card/bank account.

–Do not open links from messages of unknown origin and in which offers on all kinds of items are alluded to. Instead, type the address of the page you want to go to.