The Black Friday and Cyber Monday weekend promotions take place during the last weekend of November. Deals and bargains are all too prevalent as the weekend approaches. Walsall Council has issued the below advice to residents in the borough on how to avoid scams, fraudsters and fakes.

“ We encourage residents to shop online with caution, particularly as scams, too good to be true deals, and fake discounts increase as the main Christmas shopping season gets into full swing. “

Councillor Adam Hicken, Portfolio Holder for Enforcement and Safe Communities at Walsall Council

Scams and deals to be aware of as Black Friday, Cyber Monday and December approach:

• Price: If a price seems too good to be true for a product, check to see if it matches what you find on well-known websites and other online shops. It could end up costing you more if you don’t.

• Fake websites: Make sure the websites and online shops you use to buy products from is a trusted, official brand URL. Most established brands will usually only have one official website.

• Bad reviews: A lot of negative reviews can be a red flag, suggesting that the product or the website might be a scam.

• Limited options to pay: If a website has a restriction on the number of ways in which you can pay, that's risky. It's safer to use credit or debit cards or PayPal, as they offer better protection for users should anything go wrong.

• New social media accounts: Be cautious with deals advertised by recently created social media profiles. Especially if a lot of their posts have been released at a similar time of day.

If you think you've been scammed, contact your bank straight away using the number on the back of your credit or debit card. You should also report it to Action Fraud. https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/reportscam 

Also, be careful with marketing emails. Always check the email address it was sent from. Check the links before clicking on them. It's a good idea to go directly to a retailer's or brand’s website by searching for it instead of clicking on links that might be unsafe.

You can also report suspicious websites on the National Cyber Security Centre's website.

More information can also be found on the council’s website via: Trading standards | Walsall Council