Black Friday: Here’s How Criminals Scam You (and Tips to Protect You)

Fake sites, emails, ads on social networks, delivery notices, links in search engines: fraudsters are increasingly using artificial intelligence to scam you during Black Friday (and holiday shopping) , warn experts. Here’s how to protect yourself.

Fake websites and fake online stores are multiplying because of artificial intelligence which makes it easy to create seemingly credible sites or to almost identically copy the site of a real company.

Last year, Amazon took down more than 40,000 fraudulent sites that used its logo to sell counterfeit products or steal people’s payment information, according to Forbes.

Be especially careful when using a search engine like Google to find deals on popular products: some of the advertising links in search results may lead to fake sites.

Emails, social media advertisements, and delivery notifications via text messages are also among the most commonly used techniques to lure consumers to these illegal sites.

Here are some clues to watch out for to avoid falling into the trap, according to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP):

Prices too low

There is a limit to the savings you can make. If the offer seems too good to be true, it probably is.

Complex or unusual payment processes

In legitimate online stores, the process for paying for goods should be simple and consistent. Be wary of processes that seem too complicated or unusual.

Information is missing on the store

Most legitimate retailers post their return policy, privacy policy and contact information. If you have difficulty finding this information – or if it is missing – change sites!

Links where security elements are non-existent

An unlocked or missing padlock near the URL in the address bar or a website that does not have the “s” next to the “http” indicates that the site data is not secure.

Typos or errors in the URL address

Scammers replace the correct letters with similar characters. They may change the letter “o” for a zero. For example: Go0gle.com, amaz0n.com.