While Black Friday Broke Records, Avoid Scam Artists on Cyber Monday

The post-Thanksgiving-Day shopping craze known as Black Friday has been an American tradition since the 1950s.  By 5 p.m. Thursday, $2.1 billion was spent on shopping, which was a 20% gain from a year ago, according to Adobe’s ADBE, online marketing, and web analytics group.

Although this shopping frenzy day has come and gone, the Christmas sales are not over. According to the USAGov’s Guide to Holiday Shopping, “Cyber Monday” is the best day to grab discounts from retailers all across the internet. Online shoppers are expected according to Marketwatch.com to break a spending record this holiday season, by spending over $4 billion.

Adobe predicts $9.4 billion in sales—a 19.1% increase—for Cyber Monday, with a full-season forecast of $143.7 billion.

However, consumers are being warned while looking online for deals to protect yourself from fraud.

    •    Beware of ads on search engines or social media – Scammers advertise popular items at deep discounts but fail to deliver and steal your payment information.

    •    Use legitimate apps – Download retailer’s apps directly from their website to be sure you have the real one. Scammers can create imposter apps to steal your payment information.

    •    Choose credit over debit – Protect your right to dispute a charge by paying with a credit card.

    •    Secure your internet connection – Avoid using public wifi networks when shopping online. Check the URLs (especially on the submit payment screen).

On Tuesday, Dec 3, many charities will have campaigns set up to raise money during the holidays.

The global event runs for 24- hours and begins at midnight local time. In 2018 more than $400-million was donated. You can learn more about Giving Tuesday HERE. 

To ensure your donations go to the deserving charity of your choice and not an imposter take the following steps to improve your security.

    •    Research – Be sure that you are giving to a legitimate charity and not scammer with a similar name or web address.

    •    Verify tax-deductible status- The IRS the maintains a database of 501(c)3 organizations. You can write off donations to these organizations on you.

    •    Be wary of high pressure tactics- Don’t give in to high pressure sales tactics or demands to act now. You have a right to think about the money you give, even for charity.Got questions about consumer help, fraud protection and more shopping issues?

California shoppers who experience fraud have consumer protections. This is the link for anyone in California who wants to inquire about their legal rights as a shopper, as well as HERE for the California Department of Consumer Affairs. 

Popular in the electronics division for holiday shoppers in 2019 according to MarketWatch.com, is Apple’s new AirPods. Wedbush Securities analyst Daniel Ives, reported the wireless earbuds could see shortages before the Christmas season is over. Apple’s wearable division has seen revenue growth of 54% in the fourth quarter despite the U.S. -China trade war. Apples stocks have also continued to climb by 70% in 2019. A popular Airbud Pro, sells at $249 and is also wireless. These listening devices have a noise cancellation feature and is expected to sell out.

Among the hottest toys this year are “Frozen 2” dolls and other toys from the sequel to the Disney. The most popular in kitchen appliances in 2019 are air fryers. 

Salesforce.com also predicts tech gadgets will be grabbing the most attention on Cyber Monday and beyond.