Consumer Corner: How to spot a fake website this Black Friday
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This Black Friday you will not be able to turn your head or have an innocent scroll on Instagram without being hit with a bargain. This is the chance for stores to get you to part with your money on the biggest sales day of the year. Unfortunately however there are dishonest people looking to rob you of your hard earned cash.
Fake websites are part and parcel of the online shopping world now and as consumers we have to arm ourselves with the tools to spot a fake website and a bargain that may just be too good to be true.
Citizens Information has recommended a brilliant website called ‘CheckMyLink’ ( check.cyberskills.ie) and this is a tool that will allow you to enter the website of a company and they will determine whether a website is likely to be legitimate or a scam. You just simply type in the address of the website you want to check, and your results will appear within seconds. CheckMyLink is run by Cyber Skills and An Garda Síochána and is a fantastic resource for consumers.
The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) says scammers are becoming very clever in how they use tech or social media, and it can be hard to spot what’s genuine.
However, things to watch out for include if someone from the ‘website’ contacts you out of the blue asking you to confirm or give your personal and financial details.
Also be careful of sites that pressurise you to act quickly before it’s too late. This can be especially relevant this week with Black Friday deals everywhere and the sense of urgency that the deal will expire. Also be careful of emails you may receive from the website asking you to click on a link or attachment.
Before you buy something from a website you don’t recognise, always do a bit of research and you may find from a simple online search will show that the website is fake. In addition to the above tool there are other websites like Trustpilot where you can also check if the site is legitimate.
Fake websites will often use the name of a well known brand in their website name and that can sound alarm bells. Another tip too is watching for websites that use .net or .org at the end of their name as these domains are not generally used for online shopping websites.
Take your time also when buying from a site you don’t know and if you have any doubts check out the website and if it doesn’t look professional then there’s a good chance it is a fake. Another thing to lookout for is a padlock symbol next to a website's URL which means the site is encrypted.
In addition to fake shops there are plenty of fake service providers looking to target innocent consumers with deals on things like loans and financial products.
The Central Banks says that fraudsters are using increasingly sophisticated methods to seek to scam consumers. A handy tool is the Central Bank’s ‘SAFE’ test, which gives consumers four practical steps to take when considering buying a financial product or dealing with a firm through a website, social media, an unsolicited phone call, email, text or pop up message.
- The test encourages shoppers to stop and think and ask themselves questions about what they are being offered.
- Then assess and make sure the firm is legitimate.
- After that you should fact check and then if the website is fake then you should expose and report.
Deputy Governor at the Central Bank of Ireland, Derville Rowland, says that unfortunately nobody is immune to the threat posed by financial fraud: “The proliferation of activity by fraudsters in the online world, and the move into social media in particular, means that every generation and demographic is at risk. Advances in technology have created great opportunities for consumers, but have also given fraudsters increased access to innocent victims. Some of the scams we have seen reported to us in the Central Bank are extremely sophisticated and convincing.”
When it comes to financial fraud in particular the Central Bank says that consumers should beware of any reputed firm that looks for an upfront fee from you. They say advance fee fraud is an especially insidious scam as it targets people looking for high cost credit, which is often used by people managing budgeting or other financial challenges.
“Always take your time when buying investment products or applying for a loan. Never act on the spot, especially if a provider puts you under pressure for a ‘deal’, this is always an indicator you are not dealing with a legitimate service provider. Remember that if something seems too good to be true, it probably is.”
The CCPC says that if you believe that you’ve been scammed, contact your bank or credit card issuer immediately. Ask them if you can get the payment reversed through chargeback. They also say that you should also report it locally to the Gardaí.