Brazil ranks second in the ranking of Latin American countries most affected by cyber attacks. According to a survey by the American company Fortinet, responsible for research and development of software and cybersecurity, from January to June of this year, there were 31.5 billion intrusion attempts, which is 94% more than in the same period last year.

Black Friday is the day when the Christmas shopping season kicks off with significant promotions at many retailers and department stores. Photo: Reproduction/ND

As Black Friday approaches, these attacks may become more frequent. Thus, Brazilians should be aware of the level of security of the e-commerce they are accessing and avoid possible scams.

“On Black Friday, e-commerce becomes an even more attractive target for attacks and fraud attempts due to the high volume of transactions. Therefore, it is very important that stores are equipped with good cybersecurity solutions and that shoppers know how to spot signs of fraud,” explains Gabriella Montini, director of corporate strategy at FC Cloud, a company specializing in managed IT services and cloud computing licensing.

The specialist points out three points that consumers should pay attention to when shopping online during Black Friday. Verify:

1- Beware”phishing”

“Phishing” it is the act of tricking people into accessing sensitive information such as passwords and card numbers. In order to “hook” the victim, scammers usually pose as employees of a trusted organization and send an email or SMS with a suspicious link. If a person falls into the trap and clicks, he will be directed to “Web site false”in which criminals can obtain data from “Login” and password eg.

“During Black Friday, this scam can happen in a variety of ways. One of these could be an email or text message claiming that the person has won a discount coupon and needs to fill in their details in order to use it. Thus, they encourage a person to follow the link. So it’s important to always be suspicious of questionable links that randomly appear in emails or messages, be suspicious of the sender’s name, and of course, be suspicious of exorbitant promotions,” says Montini.

2 – Pay attention to payments with PIX

There are several ways to get scammed through Pix, and during the Black Friday period, the number can increase. Since it is possible to make payments using a code or a QR code, scammers deceive the victim and manipulate this data, directing the transfer to another recipient. It is imperative that the customer, before completing the payment, checks the name of the person who will receive the money to ensure that it is the correct recipient.

3 – Check seals and safety certificates

This type of feature is used in online stores to protect user data and protect the site itself from fraud. Therefore, when entering the online store, make sure that there is an image of a padlock next to the site URL (email address), and there are security seals at the bottom of the page, as these details indicate that the connection has been established. safely. .

Store owners can also rely on the help of specialized companies providing cyber security for e-commerce sites.

“Shopping online can and should be a pleasant and enjoyable experience for the customer without having to worry about protecting their information or possible fraud. For this reason, attention is also being paid to retailers who need to ensure end-to-end cyber security in their business,” concludes Montini.