Black Friday and Cyber Monday are just around the corner, and many people will turn to online shopping during the holiday season. Unfortunately, cybercriminals will be actively targeting online shoppers, creating fake retail websites and using other tactics to scam shoppers.
Online shopping is quick and convenient, but if you purchase goods from malicious sites, you can end up with counterfeit or stolen items. In some cases, your purchases might never be delivered, but your banking information has been compromised.
One of the tactics used to deceive shoppers is through malicious advertising called "malvertising," where criminals embed malicious code in advertisements. This attack can be executed whether you are visiting a suspicious or legitimate site because the threat lies behind the ad, and not on the site itself. This type of attack can also be found in advertisements such as banners and pop-ups. To avoid clicking on malvertising, it is best to type the name of the retailer directly into your search bar instead of clicking through the advertisement.
Additionally, take the following steps to protect yourself from fake online stores.
- When possible, purchase from the online stores you already know and trust. Bookmark these sites.
- When checking out a new store, type the name of the store or its web address into a search engine and read consumer reviews to see what others have said about it. Look for red flag words such as "fraud," "scam," "never again" and "fake."
- Regularly review your credit card statements to identify suspicious charges. Report suspicious charges to your banking institution immediately.
- Look out for prices that are significantly better than ones you see at other established retailers. If the deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
- Be suspicious if the website resembles the one you've used in the past, but the website domain name or the name of the store is slightly different. For example, you may be used to shopping at Amazon via amazon.com, but may end up at a fake website that has a similar address, amazoon.com.
- Read the store's return policy in case your item is never delivered or is not what you expected.
