Call for Black Friday 'vigilance' amid rising scam fears
Black Friday scams went up 22% last year - with victims losing an average of £970
With many shoppers across Merseyside eager to pick up a Black Friday bargain, we're being warned to be mindful of the increased risk of scams.
Black Friday scams went up by 22% last year, with shoppers losing an average of £970.
Bargain hunters are being urged to tread carefully when a deal might seem too good to be true.
Jessica Hampson, chairwoman of CEL Solicitors in Liverpool, said:
"We see, year-on-year, a huge spike during Christmas time as well as Black Fridays. Now is the time to be aware. This is a global issue, this is a billion pound industry for the scammers and they love this time of year.
"We've seen people lose around one million pounds to scams at a time. With the Black Friday scams, you're looking at around £3,000 or less and its always hard to find items.
"It could be video games, the latest toy, digital things, anything that's limited edition, trainers... it will be ugg boots now for us girls! Anything that's hard to get hold of, you're going to be more susceptible for a Black Friday scam.
"Be on your guard"
"If it's too good to be true, just be on your guard a little bit. Stay on sites that you know, that you trust, that you've been on before. If you've not been on a site before, please do your own research, look at the reviews, make sure that you're happy that the reviews are genuine and just be on the look out.
"Always have a look at the URL as well. Sometimes sites can be cloned and spoofed which is an impersonation scam. I fell for a purchase scam myself. I thought that I was buying from a legitimate company I've bought from before, however when I looked at the URL when I went to pay, it changed and it was no longer that site.
"The first thing you should be doing (if you are scammed) is calling your bank. Trying to stop the payment or go to speak to their fraud team and discuss the matter with them. Take screenshots of anything that you purchase.
"Take your time"
"The best tool that you can use is actually time. The reason scammers love Black Friday is because it's sales, people are being spontaneous, there might be deals to have.
"They don't want you to stop and think about what you're doing because if you stop and think, you might reveal the scam.
"There might be a clock counting down, there might be pressure that this is the last item in stock, it might be items that are limited edition or that have sold out elsewhere.
"Just take your time, it's not worth being scammed over an item."