Shoppers should beware of online “bargains” that are actually scams, fraud experts have warned ahead of Black Friday.
Nearly 30,000 unsuspecting shoppers were conned out of a collective £15.4m over the Christmas period last year, according to data released today by Action Fraud.
A total of 28,049 reported to the body that they had been duped in the period from November 2020 to January 2021. This marked an increase of almost two thirds (61 per cent) when compared to the same period in the previous year. As victims often feel too embarrassed or upset to admit that they have been scammed, this figure likely represents a fraction of the number of people conned.
Black Friday takes place this Friday, though some retailers have already begun their promotions and the retail event lasts for around two weeks from the “official” start date.
Ahead of the occasion, Action Fraud is urging Christmas shoppers to take extra care when making purchases online.
“Christmas is an incredibly busy time for us all but sadly, criminals will see this is as an ideal opportunity to take advantage of shoppers who are caught up in the excitement of securing a bargain online,” said Pauline Smith, director of Action Fraud.
“If you think you have found a bargain that is too good to be true, it probably is. Stop and think before making a purchase as it could protect you and your money.”
Ms Smith also stressed the importance of shopping with “official” retailers rather than making purchases via sites such as Facebook.
During the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sale events last year (23 November to 6 December), almost £2.5 million was lost to criminals – an average loss of almost £550 per victim.
Shoppers reported paying for everything from mobile phones and electronics to clothing and footwear via sites including Facebook, eBay and Gumtree only for the items never to materialise.
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Over half (54 per cent) of reports that mentioned electronics referenced popular game consoles such as Xbox and PlayStation 5.
More than one quarter of reports came from people in their twenties, and over two thirds of victims were aged 20 to 49.
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