Online Safety Guide for Black Friday

Black Friday is approaching. And it’s not just shoppers who are getting ready for it.

Periods with many discounts and online shopping come with haste, excitement, and sometimes less attention to detail. When an offer seems available for only a few minutes or you receive a message saying that "the payment was declined," that "you urgently need to confirm the order," or that a package is blocked, the temptation is to act before you check.

Online fraud attempts also rely on this very haste. Fake messages and websites can be designed to resemble those of well-known stores, banks, or courier services, prompting you to click a link or enter personal data, card details, or login information.

On Black Friday, the rule that can save you from many problems is simple: an offer may be urgent, but it is essential to ensure that your data security remains intact.

So, before you start shopping, we have prepared a guide with best practices to help you more easily recognize warning signs so you can shop online safely.

👀 Check where you buy from

A website can look flawless and still not be the store you think you are visiting. The logo, colors, product images, and even the structure of an online store can be copied to create the impression of a legitimate site.

Before entering your card details, take a close look at website address from the browser and check if it is the official one. Watch out for small differences in the name, extra or missing letters, and unusual extensions. If you reached the offer through an advertisement, SMS, e-mail, or a message received on social media, a safer option is to search for the store separately and go directly to the official website.

🔁 Do not share sensitive data via SMS, e-mail, or messages

“We need to verify the payment.” “Confirm your card details.” “Your account will be blocked.” Phrases that create urgency are a good reason to pause and check the situation separately.

Do not send card details, passwords, authentication codes, or any other information that could allow access to your accounts via SMS, e-mail, WhatsApp, or other messaging apps.

If you receive a request that appears to come from a bank, a store, or a courier, do not continue the conversation and do not use the received link for verification. Instead, log in separately to the company’s official app or website and verify the information there.

🫨 Sounds too good to be true? Check again

Black Friday means discounts, but a spectacular offer should not automatically mean a rushed purchase.

If a product costs much less than anywhere else, check the store and compare the offer before you pay. Also look at who is actually selling the product, especially on platforms hosting multiple merchants.

If the message comes with a timer, “last pieces” or warnings that the offer is disappearing immediately, don’t let the sense of urgency replace verification.

💳 Pay attention to the payment method

You found the product, checked the store, now it’s time to pay. Here, it’s worth doing one last check.

Avoid entering your card details on a page you accessed directly from a link received via SMS, e-mail, or message. It is safer to go separately to the official website or app of the store, find your order, and continue the payment from there.

Before confirming a transaction, check the displayed amount and merchant, and read the information on the confirmation screen. If anything does not match the purchase you just made, stop.

A few seconds of verification before "Confirm" can make all the difference.

📦 "Your package is blocked"? Wait a moment before you click

During sales periods, it is very likely that you will be waiting for multiple orders at the same time. That is why a message such as "Your package could not be delivered", "Update address" or "Pay delivery fee" may seem perfectly plausible.

Do not automatically access the link in the message or enter your card details for an alleged fee just because the message appears to come from a known courier.

If you are really expecting a package, go directly to the courier company's website or app and check the actual shipment number received with the order. You can also check the status directly in the account of the store you purchased from.

If the message is genuine, the information should be verifiable without relying on the received link.

On Black Friday, things happen fast: offers appear, products disappear from the cart, and messages urge us to act "now." That is why it is important to wait a moment before clicking.