Plenty of consumers are expected to whip out their wallets for deals this Cyber Monday, getting a jump on their holiday shopping amid supply-chain-induced shortages - though with cyberscammers also in the mix, authorities are cautioning shoppers to look before they leap.

More than half of consumers are expected to make online ship-to-home holiday purchases this year, according to Salesforce. And with global digital sales for the first two weeks of November already up 18% over the same period last year, growth could hit record levels, the company said.

But at the same time, scams are on the rise. Reports to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center increased 69% from 2019 to 2020, the agency said, with losses totaling US$4.1bil .

Last year, the two most prominent types of online holiday scams - non-delivery scams, where a buyer never receives what they paid for online, and non-payment scams, where goods are shipped but the seller is never paid - resulted in more than US$265mil in losses, according to the FBI. Another US$129mil was lost to credit card fraud.

Here are common scams the FBI and other experts say you should keep an eye out for when buying online during Cyber Week and beyond.

Too good to be true

When browsing for deals, you might see deals from brands you’ve never heard of. But be cautious when buying from an unfamiliar brand posted on social media, or using unfamiliar sellers on third-party marketplaces such as eBay, Poshmark and Etsy. Check reviews and ratings of the seller before making your purchase.

“Be wary of buyers and sellers with mostly unfavourable feedback ratings or no ratings at all,” the FBI said in a statement.

It’s easy to get swept up in the thrill of the deal. But as appealing as it is to pay just US$100 for a brand-new Nintendo Switch with accessories, ask yourself - why would a seller put an item up for grabs at just a fraction of the retail price?

Social media scams

Nearly half of people buy something after seeing an advertisement for it on social media, according to data from SurveyMonkey.

But not all items hawked on Facebook or Instagram are legitimate. Some ads may take you to fake websites (check for a misspelled web address or a URL ending in an uncommon domain for that store, such as.us or.cn). If you input any financial information there, you’re at risk for being scammed.

Others might just be imitations of the actual product. Plenty of apparel and luxury handbags are advertised on social media for cheap, but if you aren’t familiar with the company selling them online, it’s wise to search the company name and the words “scam” or “complaint” to see what other buyers have reported.

In the first half of 2020, social media users lost nearly US$117mil to online scammers, including sellers who never delivered their products, according to the US Federal Trade Commission.

Financial fraud

To help avoid credit card fraud, double check your debit or credit card statements in the days following your purchase. It may take a few days for a scammer to use your card for fraudulent charges. If you see something suspicious, contact your bank or credit card institution right away.

Avoid entering financial information on sites that don’t have “https://” in the URL - that’s a sign that their website is not encrypted to protect data entered on the webpage.

If the seller asks you to pay via a different method from the one listed on its online store, that’s a red flag. (That includes using Venmo, wire transfer and money orders.)

Avoid sellers who ask you to pay with a gift card. In such scams, the seller asks you to send them a gift card number and PIN - and then makes off with the funds without sending the item.

Remember, no store should ask for your Social Security number or debit card PIN.

A quick note here: Many retailers use third-party payment systems on their websites, such as PayPal or Affirm. A quick Google search should verify whether the system they’re using is legit.

Missing package scam

If your smartphone buzzes with a text about your missing package but you’re not expecting anything in the mail, you’re probably looking at a scam.

The texts usually go like this: “Your package from (DELIVERY SERVICE NAME HERE) is missing. Click this link to track it.” Then, the sender adds a link of gibberish letters and numbers.

Big delivery services such as UPS, FedEx and DHL may send you texts about your package, but it’ll usually go to an identifiable link from the company. In some cases, a scam text may ask you to call a number - instead, go to the shipping company’s website and use the phone number listed there to call about a potential lost package.

If you get one of these texts, don’t click the link - it could install malware on your device. It’s best to discard the text. (Neither the real nor fake shipping company is holding your package hostage.

 - TNS