Black Friday is approaching and promotions are flourishing

Emails and text messages are already announcing previews and private sales with tempting offers. It’s tempting, but the end of the year is conducive to fraudulent practices, particularly online, which requires a little caution.

There are many promotions before Black Friday which takes place on Friday November 29, let’s imagine that you are looking for a particular product. You type its characteristics into a search engine, and you come across the site which promises an unbeatable price. Sometimes you think you are on that of a well-known brand, but be careful not to rush. It’s worth going to check for yourself that the offer is really on offer, because some scammers use the names of big brands to scam you. In other cases, the offer comes from a site unknown to the battalion. There, you can take a look at the legal notices, to see if it is domiciled in France or in Europe (this is better, in the event of an appeal and to avoid possible customs duties). You will also see if it has a registration number, which you can check on the website of Inpi, the national institute of intellectual property.

On a search engine or on marketplaces, specialized sales platforms can guide you. On the other hand, reviews published directly on a site are much less secure. Some sites display countdown timers. It mainly serves to rush you: you don’t check anything and you buy quickly. With the risks that this entails, especially if you have not read the product description carefully: Jean-Jacques Latour, cybersecurity expert, told franceinfo this incredible story of a person who ordered a sofa at an unbeatable price. competition and who received… a miniature sofa! Like in the movie, The truth if I lie 2.

It is important to take the time, until the moment of payment, and to read carefully before validating, especially when a message offers you to recover a small amount on your purchase. Make sure that the proposal is not linked to a subscription to which you subscribe by clicking. Also check that the site uses “https” for secure payment.

Once the online purchase has been made, there is generally a period of 14 days to change your mind, return the product and get a refund. Whatever happens, keep the invoice and if you notice that it is defective, take photos and report it as quickly as possible. In the event of concerns or disputes, you also have the recourse of a mediator and reporting.

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