Kiwis are being urged to pause before they pay this Black Friday by MBIE’s Consumer Protection team in order to avoid falling victim to scammers.
Major promotional events like Black Friday and Cyber Monday see scammers use the heightened sense of urgency to attract consumers with fake online shops and advertisements. These often particularly revolve around brands which do not have a direct presence in New Zealand.
If an offer is too good to be true, then probably it is not. So, check authenticity of advertiser’s websites, etc before you click ‘Pay’.
These websites often end in nz.com or newzealand.com rather than .co.nz
Ian Caplin from MBIE’s Consumer Protection team says consumers should consider three things when they’re shopping over the promotional weekend.
“Check the online trader is who they say they are, that they’re contactable if there is a problem with your order and that they will deliver what you ordered in good time.”
“Things to look out for include lack of local contact details, a web address that doesn’t match what’s being sold and if the price is noticeably lower than everywhere else. Make sure any website asking for your information has a padlock symbol next to the web address in your browser.”
“You can also protect yourself by using trusted payments systems like PayPal, Apple Pay or Google Wallet.”
Scams remain a significant concern. A recent survey from Netsafe found shopping scams were the second most common form of scam in New Zealand.
Results of the survey tell a tale of loss and caution. Of the participants, 17% lost money to scams, with an average loss of $3,165, amounting to a staggering $2.05 billion lost nationally.
Related: https://www.newsviews.co.nz/kiwis-lose-6-million-to-online-scams-as-criminals-use-new-ai-tools/