In the lead up to Black Friday and the Festive Season, it is common to see the number of online scams rise. These include fraudsters posting fake deals, sending phishing emails and using fake eCommerce sites to entice consumers into making purchases and sharing their information.

Andrew Stein, Vice President of Marketing at Massmart, which owns brands such as Makro, Builders and Game, notes that the success of these scams often lies in the overall similarities they share with the legitimate platforms they are imitating, where victims overlook some finer details.

“We generally see an uptick in scams at this time of the year and really want to encourage our customers to be super vigilant. There are many things that you can do to protect yourself from scammers. Here are our top three,” he said.

Double-check the URL

Fraudsters are known to create URL’s that imitate those of reputable brands, with changes as minor as one or two characters in the URL. Consumers should always ensure they are using the correct website for the retailer they are intending to buy from.

Ask yourself – Is this deal too good to be true?

If a deal seems too good to be true, it often is. If you have doubts over the legitimacy of an advertised deal, you should verify it on the retailer’s online platforms such as their website, app, or official social media accounts.

Pause before opening a link or attachment that has been sent to you

Reputable retailers will only share deals and communication with you via the channels that you have signed up for, or via their own social media channels. Do not click on strange links from emails or SMS’s, particularly those that are placing you under time pressure to take action, or not containing clear information about the retailer, your order or reference number or the relevant courier partner, where applicable.

“The best advice though is to be on really high alert. If you have questions about the accuracy of any content relating to Makro, Game, and Builders, please share it with us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.,” Stein concluded.

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