From November until the end of the year, there is typically an increase in online purchases. This trend is fueled by events like Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the holiday season leading up to Christmas and New Year.

Steep discounts and the approaching holidays drive people to online stores for gift shopping. Cybercriminals become more active during these months, trying to deceive individuals and extort money.

Currently, many internet stores on Meta platforms like Facebook and Instagram run advertising campaigns for the Armenian audience. These platforms may be fraudulent, designed to deceive people and extract their money.

The question arises: how can one shop safely online, especially during stressful times when offers are abundant but resources like time and money are limited?

Let’s outline some steps to minimize dangers and their impact as much as possible.

First, selecting a secure payment system is crucial. Activating services like PayPal, Google Pay, and Apple Pay is highly recommended. These platforms protect your bank card information, ensuring the recipient does not see it when you make a payment. As a result, even if someone accidentally makes a payment to a fraudulent website, the financial loss is limited to just that amount. When importing card data, there is a risk that fraudsters could access this information and withdraw all funds from the account. Fortunately, PayPal often allows users to recover their money if they quickly recognize they are dealing with scammers and reach out to the company for a refund.

Unfortunately, many websites do not accept such payment systems, and fraudsters tend to avoid them. Therefore, users often have to resort to using bank cards. This is why it is preferable to utilize online banking services for transactions.

a. Create a virtual bank card.
b. Keep the balance at zero.
c. Before making a specific purchase, transfer the necessary amount from your main bank account (to which no card is linked) to the virtual card.
d. After completing the purchase, transfer the balance back to your primary bank account, ensuring the virtual card’s balance is zeroed.

Before making any transactions, thoroughly check the website where you plan to spend your money. Here are some things to consider:

a. If the offer is too appealing, such as unusually high discounts, it is essential to take a moment to pause and not rush into a decision.

b. It is essential to verify the website’s credibility. For example, you can use scamadviser.com to get a rough estimate of the site’s reliability. Additionally, you can check the domain registration date on Whois.com. If the website was registered within the last one to six months, it is advisable to avoid that platform.

c. It is essential to research on the Internet to gather opinions about a particular website. Additionally, you can ask friends on social media who may have experience with it. A lack of reviews can also be a warning sign.

If you’re uncertain about a site’s reliability, it’s advisable to stick with well-known, reputable trading platforms that are widely recognized. These larger platforms prioritize security and maintenance. For instance, if you encounter an unscrupulous seller, you may be able to seek compensation by contacting the platform’s customer service, which is often not an option with smaller sites.

To gain a deeper understanding of this topic, you can watch the following video.

The views expressed in the column are those of the author's and do not necessarily reflect the views of Media.am.