We're heading straight into the Black Friday sales season, and major online retailer Amazon is already rolling out seasonal deals, but with such a blitz of savings on the horizon, beware of malicious online websites and services that could scam you. and hide your personal data. endangered. We keep a watchful eye on the current scam threat every month, but we're paying attention to coupon scams that could promise a good deal and result in nothing of the sort.
Before we get into the details, you can trust TechRadar when it comes to the best coupons for tech products. We always update our articles on HP discount codes, Dyson coupons, Samsung promo codes and more, with our discount codes sourced directly from brands and retailers. We don't deal with dubious discounts, and if it appears on one of our coupon pages, it's a tried and tested coupon (although obviously keep in mind that such codes expire and won't last forever).
However, there are many coupon sources that may pose a risk to you. The physical act of entering a fake code into a box at checkout probably won't generate any reaction, but the act of obtaining said coupon is another story.
We're breaking down our tips on how to stay safe from coupon scams into three easy-to-understand points. Read on to learn best practices when it comes to fake discount code scams online.
1. Only trust legitimate websites, emails, and social media posts
Call me biased, but TechRadar is a very good website and as already mentioned, you can rely on the coupon codes and deals we mention in our articles. When it comes to lesser-known websites that may offer “too good to be true” deals, display a flurry of ads, or require registration or payment before displaying codes, things get murky.
A quick indication of a website's legitimacy is its URL. If a fake coupon website tried to impersonate TechRadar, for example, the URL could be spelled differently or have a different address than .com (such as .xyz, .gg, or .tv). However, some scam websites will not go the phishing route and instead skip fake legitimacy altogether. This makes things difficult, so a good rule of thumb is that if you don't know, don't click on it.
If the website in question has received positive reviews or has been linked to other trusted websites, then that is a completely different story and you could give the website some trust based on these points, but it would be a mistake to completely trust a website. , only to have your email inbox filled with spam after entering your personal information, or have money taken from your account to make a payment to sign up.
This tip also applies to emails and social media posts. Say, for example, Dell is running a Black Friday sale and you're a regular customer; You'll probably see emails in your inbox from Dell announcing the sale, along with social media posts to the same effect. A bad actor could impersonate Dell email addresses or social media accounts to advertise fake discount codes. Check the validity of these things with what Dell has on their official “verified” websites and social media accounts.
2. Don't sign up for discount codes and, above all, don't give out your credit card information.
This is an easy tip to recommend because it will stop cybercriminals in their tracks; do not reveal your credit card information, and unless the website is trustworthy, don't even create an account with them.
When it comes to coupon codes, a dodgy website may have them set so that the discounts are partially visible, but they will only be revealed when you create an account with the credit card information revealed. Don't do this, there is no reason why a coupon code aggregator needs your card information and unless you trust the website, don't sign up for an account; Otherwise, you could turn your email inbox and phone number into constant spam targets. .
3. Coupon extensions are great, but know the risks
One popular shopping tool that has really started to gain traction in the last five years are discount coupon browser extensions, like Honey and Cently. These browser extensions can be very useful, but due to their nature deeply integrated into the browser of your choice, such as Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox, they can pose a risk to your personal and financial security.
ExpressVPN, the makers of the best VPN for beginners recommended by TechRadar, has done an excellent job of evaluating the legitimacy of browser extensions with discount coupons. Here's a quick explanation of ExpressVPN's evaluation for a handful of browser extensions:
- Honey: Purchase data is collected and shared with the parent company PayPal. Overall, it's a safe extension to use, but you may want to skip it if you're concerned about data collection.
- cently: Data about purchases and purchasing habits is shared with partners primarily for marketing purposes. It's still a relatively safe extension to use, but your data is not private.
- cuperto: Again, personal purchasing behavior is tracked across the web and shared with partners. It is still a safe extension to use and encrypts the data you share, but keep in mind that it is shared in the first place.
These are legitimate coupon extensions that could give you genuine savings at checkout, but before you sign up for them all at once, keep an eye out for the ones that aren't legitimate. Extensions that appear in the Chrome Web Store, for example, may say they track coupons across the Internet, but in reality they simply flood your browser with spam. Only install legitimate extensions with a proven and verifiable track record, and if you're unsure, check out the extension reviews on their listing page.
Remember this Black Friday period: if a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is. Stay safe online and enjoy your bargain shopping.
