The countdown to Black Friday, when the battle for the final discounts will begin. But fraud always occurs and even worries almost six out of ten Italians. The result was a survey carried out by Revolut which, on a representative sample of around a thousand people, revealed that 12% had been cheated and lost money (up to 1000 euros), while 57%, although not being victims of fraud, were afraid of it.
Overall, only 7% felt very confident that they could spot fake or fraudulent websites online and on social media. Older generations show a lack of confidence, with 20% of 55-64 year olds saying they are not at all confident they would be able to spot a Black Friday scam. Among younger generations, although they are often considered “digital experts” by their parents, 25% of Generation Z admit that they do not feel confident that they can avoid the most dangerous online pitfalls.
Online purchasing
However, the data shows that, in Italy, we are starting to pay more attention to online purchases: the majority actually only buy from trusted sites or apps (62%), almost half (37%) avoid clicking on links in emails or adverts on social media and around 3 in 10 (27%) check website URLs. When it comes to finding the best deals, consumers primarily rely on retailer sites (51%), paid social media ads on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook (14%), and email promotions (9%). Unsurprisingly, social media advertising appeals most to Generation Z, with 38% of respondents the highest percentage among all generations, while Generation X (61%) and Baby Boomers (57%) tend to prefer retail sites. Influencers appear to have less traction on Black Friday: only 3% chose influencer content as an option.
How to recognize online fraud
However, the gap between caution and safety still remains: users continue to grow, but fraud also continues to grow and careful buyers may not be enough. To recognize online fraud there are several things to keep in mind: i Fraudsters create fake websites that closely resemble retailer sites. The goal is not only to steal money from the victim at the time of purchase, but also to obtain personal and card information for future fraud. Therefore, you should carefully check the website URL to verify that it is the original URL from which you wish to purchase.
Some sites sell expensive items (brand electronics, jewelry or clothing) at very cheap prices. Sometimes buyers receive the item they paid for, which turns out to be fake, other times they receive nothing. Reminder: if it’s too good to be true, it’s often a scam. Look for online reviews from other customers to verify the retailer’s reliability.
Sometimes scammers use social media platform to create an online store. The shop opens for a while and then disappears after making a few sales. Therefore, do not trust social media pages/accounts that have been opened recently and with many positive reviews, they could be fake and written just to make people believe that they are genuine. THAT fake mail messages and phishing emails increases during peak periods such as Black Friday. It is recommended to track packages directly from the retailer’s or shipping company’s website and always check the return address, paying attention to spelling errors. If in doubt, never click on the link.
