South Yorkshire Police issue warning to Black Friday shoppers

Black Friday and Cyber Monday shoppers have been warned of the dangers of using fraudulent websites.
A warning has been issued to Black Friday shoppersA warning has been issued to Black Friday shoppers
A warning has been issued to Black Friday shoppers

Tomorrow and Monday are expected to be two of the busiest online trading days of the year, but consumer research suggests that people are more likely to take a risk if they are offered a bargain.

Cyber Crime specialists at South Yorkshire Police have issued advice to people before they shop.

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Chief Inspector Stephen Leach said: “Some people will take risks if they think they are bagging a bargain, while others might be less familiar with the safeguards that can keep their money safe online.

“With internet traffic set to peak in the days and weeks ahead, now is a perfect time to remind shoppers about the perils of using unfamiliar websites, clicking unsolicited email links and social media click-throughs.

“Unscrupulous websites are looking to harvest your card or bank account details but people can guard against scammers."

Ensure that websites have a small padlock symbol in the address bar, to indicate that they are secure connections.

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The web address of the payment page should begin with https, with the ‘s’ standing for secure.

Avoid carrying out any financial transactions over insecure connections, such as public wifi.

When making a card payment online, shoppers should never be asked for PIN numbers or internet banking passwords.