Kiwis lost $2.3 billion to scams last year, according to a survey by Netsafe and the Global Anti-Scam Alliance - and more could lose out to Black Friday charlatans. Photo / Getty Images
Kiwis lost $2.3 billion to scams last year, according to a survey by Netsafe and the Global Anti-Scam Alliance - and more could lose out to Black Friday charlatans. Photo / Getty Images
Black Friday scams are so rife some people are now suggesting the November 29 shopping event should also be called Black Fraud Day.
Deepfakes and QR code phishing scams joined the plague of fake e-shops to present challenges ahead of major shopping events.
“As we head into peak shoppingseason, scammers are ramping up their tactics, preying on deal-seeking consumers,” said Mark Anderson, national security officer at Microsoft ANZ.
“While shoppers are becoming more aware of common scams, these tactics are evolving,” he added.
“New technologies like AI make it easier for scammers to operate and harder for people to detect these schemes.”
“They might use fake video calls or voice messages from familiar sources like friends or family members, tricking users into sharing sensitive information or making unauthorised payments.”
He said another scam involved fake tech support pop-ups or calls that appeared after visiting certain shopping sites or clicking on ads, impersonating companies such as Microsoft or Apple.
“They convince shoppers to share sensitive information or pay for fake services to ‘fix’ non-existent issues.”
He said other “techscams” created fake shopping deals or impersonated well-known retailers, luring shoppers to fraudulent sites.
“In fact, techscams can impact wallets up to ten times more than traditional phishing attempts, making it crucial for holiday shoppers to stay vigilant and double-check the legitimacy of offers and websites.”
Another issue involved QR code phishing, where scammers led people to websites designed to steal personal information.
“To avoid these, be cautious with QR codes from unknown sources and always verify requests for personal information.”
He said people could protect themselves by taking steps including exercising caution aroundclicking links or attachments.
“If an email or text offers deep discounts, tight timeframes to take an offer up, or unusual availability for an item that is sold out everywhere else, it could be a scam,” he said.
Instead of clicking links or opening attachments in text messages or emails, Anderson advised people to visit retailers’ websites directly to see if the offer checked out.
“Scammers use the Christmas season, and the stress that comes with it, to get people clicking links they normally wouldn’t,” a National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) spokesperson told the Herald.
They said scammers did use current affairs to get on people’s radar.
“This includes various types of online fraud, such as fake merchandise, investment scams or running fake fundraising campaigns.”
The NCSC said fake e-shops were still a problem.
One such shop on Facebook in August was found to have used a fake celebrity endorsement and was littered with misleading information.
The NCSC said it was still seeing a constant stream of fake retail sites, pretending to be New Zealand-based stores.
“These are usually the name of a real shop, but with ‘-nz.com’ or the name of a New Zealand city at the end of the web address, such as ‘-wellington.com’.”
Black Friday scams are a global phenomenon. After an interview with a UK cybersecurity chief, The Guardian referred to the shopping event as “Black Fraud Day”.
Forbes magazine said targeted purchase scams through emails were the most reported type of shopping scam.
In these scams, customers might receive email alerts of sales purportedly from a legitimate retailer like Amazon or Costco advertising Black Friday deals.
