Cyber Monday is almost here. It’s the traditional day with big discounts from online shops. It’s also an easy way to fall into various schemes.
Online shopping is convenient and easy. But it’s also easier for malicious people to carry out schemes to lure people.
One of the most popular ways is fake online stores. They offer stunning deals, but all they actually want is the money and customer data. They don’t even send real stock.
Another scheme is for retailers to show big discounts, like “up to 70% on 2000 items”. It seems that all of these items are 70% off. But in reality is just a handful while the majority of products have much smaller discounts like 15%-20%.
A third trick some retailers use is to show lower prices for the items, but their shipping is actually more expensive. Another is to slightly raise the prices a few days in advance, so the real discount isn’t that big. So, what to do?
Good old vigilance should be enough. Start browsing your favorite online shops a few days earlier to make note of their typical prices and shipping costs.
Also eye the products you want beforehand. This way you can quickly browse through the online stores on Cyber Monday and see which one has the best deals for you. This includes both the discount and the shipping costs.
When you come across an online shop you don’t know, take some time to research it. See what contacts they have given on their site. Just an email with no address and phone number could be a bit worrisome. Also check out some reviews of the stores via Google.
As tempting as it may be, try not to rush too much. Yes, stocks are usually very limited and a lot of people bargain hunt stuff just for the sake of getting a discount on something. Still, have a plan and stick to it. Also, remember that with the holiday shopping spree just starting, there will still be plenty of sales as retailers battle for consumer attention.
