Wurkhouse Launch Guide To Safe Shopping During Black Friday

EAST LONDON, U.K. - Nov. 19, 2018 - PRLog -- Leading creative agency Wurkhouse have created a guide to shopping online during the Black Friday & Cyber Monday Period.

As Black Friday and Cyber Monday are just around the corner, many retailers are offering shoppers a great opportunity to find bargains, gifts and top branded products at discounted prices in the lead up to Christmas.

While Black Friday is usually associated with in store discounts, many retailers begin their sale online and continue through to Cyber Monday.

With so much activity from shoppers online, it's also a prime period for cyber criminals to scam people out of their cash, payment information and personal details. As the cyber security thought leader and owner of MetaCompliance, Robert O'Brien explains "from a hacker's perspective, Black Friday is the consumer equivalent of a watering hole in the Serengeti Desert. The event brings all the prey together".

The guide includes some of the following tips:

Shop At Secure Websites

If you land on a website that you have never been on before and are not familiar with the brand, the first thing you should do is check whether the website is SSL protected.

SSL certificates help to protect against credit card fraud. It is essentially an encryption protocol making it difficult for cyber criminals to capture payment card details.

Make Sure You Are Not Shopping On A Cloned Website

One method cyber criminals use to scam customers is to create a duplicate website of a well-known branded store. Amazon has often been a site cloned by hackers to steal credit card details from unsuspecting customers.

A cloned website may look and work the same as the site it's pretending to be, however, when you get to the checkout page, it will look different. This type of page is designed to capture your personal details and your credit card details.

Offers Too Good To Be True

If you see an online offer that is too good to be true, then it probably is. For instance, if you come across an offer like 90% off the latest tech product, you're right to be weary.

Cyber criminals act on demand to take advantage of customers eagerly looking to secure the latest products at the best prices. They create websites that contain a false offer, take your money and you get nothing in return. Your personal details may also be sold to other cyber criminals on the dark web.

Look For Contact Information

Legitimate websites will always have some form of contact information. This is something to look out for on Black Friday or Cyber Monday if you are shopping with an unfamiliar brand. Checking for contact details will also make you aware of the company returns policy.

More guides can be found at the Wurkhouse website: https://wurkhouse.com/