Bargain or online scam? Protect yourself this Black Friday and festive season

It’s not only online shoppers who are on the lookout for bargains. Scammers are eagerly awaiting their cut too.

Photo by حامد طه on Unsplash

With digital fraud in South Africa increasing at an alarming pace, it’s vital for internet users to know how to identify and protect themselves against online scams this Black Friday and festive season.    

The South African Banking Risk Information Centre’s latest annual crime statistics show that reported instances of digital banking fraud nearly doubled from 52 584 incidents in 2023 to 97 975 in 2024, with losses amounting to almost R1.9 billion that year.

In a study by the Global Anti-Scam Alliance in which 46 000 adults from 42 countries worldwide, including South Africa, took part, almost a quarter of them indicated that they lost money in scams in the previous 12 months. These numbers, which were released in October 2025, show that all internet users, irrespective of their age or level of education, need to know how to protect themselves online.

So, what measures can you take to protect yourself against scammers? Here are a few tips:

• Never share personal information, passwords or one-time pins (OTPs) with anyone.

• Avoid doing online transactions when connected to public Wi-Fi.

• When placing an order or making a payment on a website, have a close look at the web address to make sure it’s the relevant company’s official site. Scammers sometimes create a fake website using a domain name similar to the official one. They could, for instance, replace the letter “i” with the letter “l” or the number “1”, making it hard to notice.   

• Only download and use apps from official app stores like the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.

• Don’t click on links if you’re not 100% sure it’s safe to do so, whether receiving them via email, WhatsApp or SMS.

• Never make online payments when you’re distracted or in a hurry.

• Be extremely suspicious if someone rushes you into making a payment.

• If someone sends you an invoice with payment details, double-check the email address, paying close attention to every character. Also phone the company you placed the order with on its official number to verify the banking details shared with you before making the payment. Don’t simply trust it’s the number provided in the email or invoice you received.

• Unless you’re using an official secure online shopping mobile app, rather make purchases, verify email addresses or check invoice details from your laptop. It’s easier to spot red flags on a bigger screen and email addresses are not always visible in full on a phone.

• Never click on “remember card details” when making an online purchase – this goes for websites as well as your internet browser.

• Rather use a virtual card with a dynamic CVV number, which changes regularly, than a physical card.

The rule of thumb when looking at any information – whether it pops up while you’re doing an online search, you see it on social media, or if you receive it via WhatsApp or SMS – if it sounds too good or shocking to be true, it probably is.

At NetSavvy, we make internet safety understandable and equip internet users with the skills to identify false information, protect their privacy, and stay safe online – ultimately helping them to keep their personal information away from criminals and their money in their bank accounts. We offer workshops and educational talks for people with different levels of digital literacy and of all ages – from teenagers, students and professionals to older adults. Get in touch if you would like us to do a workshop for your staff, students, circle of friends or for residents at a retirement village.