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A warning has been issued over Black Friday scams ahead of late November and Christmas . The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has warned people to be on their guard in the run up to the day, and to stop the minute a purchase appears suspicious. This year's event will take place on November 27. Jonathon Ellison, the director for national resilience at the NCSC, adds: “This is … a time when cyber criminals seek to exploit our increased spending, using trusted brands, popular products, and current events to deceive people into clicking malicious links or sharing personal and financial information.” They may also create fake small businesses, says Adrian Ludwig of Tools for Humanity, a tech company. “With AI, fraudsters can now create entire deceptive small-business identities, complete with faces, stories and photo-perfect shops in just minutes,” he says. READ MORE Monzo makes change to buy now, pay later for 13 million customers “Scammers will turn John Lewis into J0hn Lewis (with a zero) … to trick rushed consumers,” said Nathaniel Jones of Darktrace. Which? has found a round four in 10 deals were cheaper at other times of the year than on Black Friday. And while you may expect product prices to fall over time, 11% of the products we looked at were cheaper than their Black Friday price in the six months before the big day. So before you rush into impulse-buying a discounted coffee machine or TV, read on for our advice on how to work out if a deal is real," the consumer watchdog said. It’s also important to report phishing emails or scam websites. Contact Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040, the UK’s national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime, and don’t forget to let others know so they can stay alert. Immediately inform your bank of the incident, especially if you provided your details and you see suspicious charges. They might be able to cancel your card and monitor suspicious activity.
