10 things to watch out for during Yellow Friday sale

With the holiday season coming up, people across the world are looking to stock up on gifts for their near and dear ones and the best time to do that is now. Agreed it’s Covid times and people may not want to go out to malls for their purchases, however, retailers across the world are preparing for a massive Black Friday sale this year considering the demand for online purchasing due to the pandemic. In Dubai, shoppers can expect to avail scores of items at heavily discounted rates during the online Yellow Friday sale that kicks off from Monday, November 23 to Sunday, November 29.

While the deals are lucrative, there are several things to look out for if you are planning to buy your gifts online. Cyber thieves are lurking behind digital walls to take advantage of the rush for online deals to carry out their plans. Here are some tips for a safe online shopping experience.

1. Always visits sites that you trust - renowned brands or retailers. Avoid stores that you’ve never heard of.

2. Some stores offer hard-to-believe deals, be wary of such offers.

3 Whenever you purchase online, use the brand’s official website, avoid going through a link.

4. Always try to make your payment using a pre-paid card, preferably a web shopper card. It’s safer to use it than having a hacker leave you with a huge credit card bill.

5. Use a payment method that asks for an OTP (one-time-password).

6. Avoid buying items at exorbitant costs. If you don’t like an item that you’ve shelled out too much on, you could always gift it to someone. That way you won’t be losing much.

7. Don’t click on promotion links that you receive on email or WhatsApp from unknown sources, check the source out first. The deal may sound tempting, but once you click the link cyber thieves may get access to personal information.

8. Always shop from sites that have a return policy. If the goods are damaged while in transit or of inferior quality you could always request a replacement or cashback.

9. Safeguard your online payments by using a secure payment gateway, do not share your card details on any other communication when requested.

10. Ensure that you compare prices on other deals before pressing the buy button on an item.

• Retail