Many of us aren't confident we could spot a fake website this Black Friday - so be on your guard

• Revolut finds only 17% of us feel ‘very confident’ in identifying fake websites
• Around two-thirds use trusted websites and avoid unknown links
• 4% admit they do nothing at all to protect themselves online

One in 10 millennials are expected to do most of their Black Friday shopping on social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok and Facebook, and yet two in 10 have already been scammed while shopping online.

Most scammed millennials lost £100-£250, with 7% losing over £1,000, and this is the most confident age group at spotting scams.

New Revolut data has revealed only 17% of Brits feel ‘very confident’ in identifying fake websites or scam offers, but it’s combatting this with some top tips to iron out malicious activities.

Revolut explains how to avoid scams this Black Friday

Revolut says it is worried that social commerce growth (like TikTok Shop) has made scams harder to spot, with fraudsters often mimicking genuine brands and using fast-moving platforms to disappear quickly.

“As shopping increasingly moves to social media platforms, fraudsters are getting smarter at mimicking trusted brands,” Revolut Head of Financial Crime Woody Malouf shared.

British consumers say they use trusted websites or apps (66%), avoid unknown links in emails and ads (60%) and double-check website URLs (39%) to protect themselves, and while all of these steps are valid preventative measures, not enough consumers are actually taking them.

Checking URLs is one of Revolut’s main messages, highlighting that scammers often clone retail sites to steal money and personal data. But it might not always be so clear – keeping an eye on new social media shops with suspiciously positive reviews, or being wary of ‘too good to be true’ prices, are also effective for identifying scams.

“The best defence is caution, if it’s too good to be true, it often is and always shop from reliable websites with good reviews,” Malouf concluded.

With 4% of Brits taking no precautions at all and many more failing to do enough to protect themselves, the messaging is clear. Despite awareness of preventative steps, consumers are failing to use them.

Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!

And of course you can also follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp too.