Happy Black Friday week! It’s a busy time where your inbox will be flooded with long-awaited bargains and discounts for you to grab, to sweeten online shopping marathons. At the same time, opportunistic fraudsters are also on the loose to scam you out of your money. A harsh reality. Too-good-to-be-true deals, phishing emails with unsuspecting links, random requests to share One-Time Passcodes (OTPs). All notable examples of how scammers look to intercept control of your money. <br> <br>
As an FCA-regulated fintech payments company, the safety and security of your money is paramount to us. So, we have robust measures in place to ensure this. But as for your part, here are some savvy shopping tips to keep your Black Friday deals drama-free this year. <br> <br>
Be wary of deals that seem too good to be true, even for Black Friday
<br> Do your research, before you proceed to checkout. Read online reviews to determine the authenticity of websites and sellers. And where applicable, don’t hesitate to request further information – such as pictures or documentation, to assess how genuine an item is. <br> <br>
Shop from established and reputable retailers
<br> Pro tip: a legitimate website’s URL should begin with “https”, not “http”. The “s” in the former version stands for “secure” and is preceded by a padlock icon, to indicate that any sensitive personal data passing via the website is encrypted. <br> <br>
Refrain from divulging your personal data (an obvious one, yes!)
<br> Avoid providing pins (including OTPs), passwords, or your personal details (such as your card details, home address, email address and password, NI number, bank details, and answers to security questions), both over the phone and via online live chat support. <br> <br>
Don’t open links in unsolicited emails or texts
<br> Search for a website via a search engine, or simply type the URL into the web browser – and watch it change to reflect the best practice described in tip 2. Pro tip: double check the sender's email address for any irregularities, and scan the email body for incorrect use of grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Two aspects which would indicate that a scammer is at work. <br> <br>
Log out of your online retail shop accounts
<br> Where possible, don't save your card details under 'Payment Methods' when logged into your retail online accounts. And don't forget to log out of accounts, prior to closing browser windows. <br> <br>
If you’re on the lookout for Black Friday deals, we just wanted to remind you that you can enjoy fee-free spending in the UK when you pay using your pre-paid Caxton Card. Simply log into your Caxton account, to top up, view transaction overviews in real-time, and so much more.