Black friday: 10 rules to not get cheated
The decalogue for safe shopping during Black Friday. Umberto Rapetto's advice
The shops are closed and the usual Amazon and Alibaba are ready to eat the market in the indifference of Italian politics.
If this disgusting situation were not enough, no one bothered to alert those who surf the Internet about the scams that could accompany online shopping.
If in Italy the problem does not seem to exist, elsewhere the question is a priority and organizations of an institutional nature do not hesitate to proceed decisively in their work of important evangelization.
Across the Channel – for example – the National Cyber Security Center (Ncsc) has just published an updated guide for those who want to shop on the occasion of this week's Black Friday.
According to the NCSC, crime has been waiting for months for the magical opportunity to exploit the significant greater number of transactions on the Net in the period before Christmas. The bandits are well aware that consumers – busy finding the cheapest prices – might let their guard down slightly during the rush to not miss the best deals.
The publication of the NCSC document leads to draw up a sort of decalogue that can also be useful for those who think they do not need to "vaccinate themselves" against the scam always lurking.
THE FIRST RULE
The first rule is certainly to be extremely selective in identifying the site on which to shop. It would be good to check – using any search engine – if there is someone on the web who talks about a certain reality, tells his experience, explains any inconvenience or inefficiency, lists negative comments.
In proceeding with this reconnaissance, it is appropriate to cut out the comments that are too caustic (they could have been inserted here and there by a competitor) and those that are excessively enthusiastic (perhaps the work of the same seller): if the principle "in medio stat virtus" applies, the most balanced can bring out in a calm way the strengths and weaknesses of an interlocutor in e-commerce.
You have to be careful about the name of the site you are connecting to. Many marauders do not hesitate to create web pages that have an address similar to that of a real and well-known manufacturer or seller. Sometimes a dash between a double word or a letter less or more is enough: the manipulation of the name of the site ("mistyping" as experts call it) is an almost historical technique and its effectiveness does not seem to oxidize (perhaps also thanks to the little information about it).
SECOND "COMMANDMENT"?
Provide only the necessary information. The compilation of forms, forms and questionnaires must be limited to the data necessary to proceed with the purchase and to obtain the shipment in compliance with the established conditions. The saying "everything you say can be used against you" is valid: as if you were on the scene of an American crime film, we must remember that it is better not to confide elements of knowledge with those who could then make a distorted use of it and perhaps in damage to those who let themselves go into chatter that could have been avoided.
THE THIRD COUNCIL
This concerns the description of what you are buying. Don't be in a hurry and read calmly, maybe even more than once. Not infrequently something is missing or a detail is provided that must immediately trigger some doubts about the goodness or reliability of the product.
NUMBER FOUR: THE PRICE!
If something is too cheap, we have to wait to rejoice. The product could be counterfeit or of illicit origin and the buyer could then be called into question for the careless purchase and respond with the payment of unpleasant penalties. There is also the risk that the "too cheap" object does not exist and therefore never arrives….
FIVE?
The conditions envisaged for delivery. It is essential to know if the shipping costs are included or their burden should be added to the cost of what you are thinking of buying. Sometimes an extraordinary occasion ends up turning out to be anything but attractive because the address could blur the convenience that initially attracted attention.
WE ARRIVE TO THE SIXTH POINT.
What happens if the product does not match what was ordered via the Internet, or if it arrives in an unacceptable condition or if it is damaged or not working? Although mail order is protected by specific rules and therefore you can feel guaranteed, it is preferable to check in advance what you are going to encounter if you have to return the package you intend to refuse to the sender.
SEVENTH RECOMMENDATION.
Try to prefer payment methods that provide some sort of insurance coverage for any misunderstandings. PayPal and Google Pay, for example, offer guarantees on the return of the sum even if this compensation is naturally bound to the presence of funds in the seller's account….
TIP NUMBER EIGHT.
Beware of messages pouring into your inbox. Check the sender and do not be enchanted by amazing proposals that can be the hook of the incessant proliferation of "phishing" actions.
WE ARE AT NOVE …
It is essential to remember that no one gives anything and therefore an ounce of distrust never hurts. The internet abounds with criminals and scams are the order of the day.
THE FATIDIC NUMBER 10
The most effective precaution to avoid online rip-offs is perhaps not to discard the possibility of buying "live", seeing and touching what you want to buy or give as a gift, meeting other people, chatting, simply being "normal" as you were once…
Article published on Infosec-news, here the original version
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/innovazione/black-friday-10-regole-per-non-farsi-fregare/ on Fri, 27 Nov 2020 06:55:50 +0000.