The Consumer Advocate points out that email scams soar during the sales season
Tips for consumers during this year’s sales Black Friday and Cyber Monday, given by the Independent Authority “Consumer Advocate” and the European Consumer Center of Greece.
They state the following:
Many stores show big discounts, without always being real. It is recommended to carefully check and compare product prices before and during the sale period. The evolution of prices over a period of several months can be easily done by consumers using relevant online tools.
It is good to choose stores not only based on low prices, but also on the basis of their good reputation and long-term presence in the market. The positive experiences and reviews of other consumers are also a parameter that can help in the final choice.
It is recommended to avoid transactions with online stores that operate exclusively through social networks, without having a physical headquarters at the same time and without disclosing full contact details (postal and electronic address, landline number), as well as registration number in the General Commercial Register (G.E .NON.).
Black Friday and Cyber Monday they are an opportunity for the astute to deceive unsuspecting consumers with a preference for online shopping. It is recommended that consumers visit secure store websites, starting with “https” (with an SSL certificate).
It is a good idea to avoid storing sensitive personal data, such as credit card numbers, on store websites that consumers do not deal with frequently, and also to avoid making online purchases while connected to public Wi-Fi networks.
In some cases, the original cost of a product can be significantly increased by adding additional charges to the shopping cart, such as shipping, cash on delivery and insurance. To avoid unpleasant surprises, we always check the total value of each purchase before completing the transaction.
Online email scams increase rapidly during the sales season. Consumers are advised to pay special attention to commercial offers sent by email from strangers or with very attractive prices, as they may constitute phishing traps for sensitive personal information by opening malicious external links (links) or attached files.
Any sales event that promises low prices encourages overconsumption. We always try to focus on real needs and purchases that have absolute priority, making proper planning based on our budget.
