Bulgaria's General Directorate for Combatting Organized Crime Warns People to be Careful During the Black Friday

By statistics of the Cyber Crime Specialty Department at Bulgaria's General Directorate for Combatting Organized Crime (GDBOP), the number of fake sites increases more than 10 times before major holidays, as are the upcoming ones.

False web pages are built in several languages, both for greater credibility and for widening the scope of the criminal activity.

In the fake website, usually for the high discounts, there is often a field with an explanation that low prices are due to the long delivery period - over 40-50 days.

For another year, many stores and merchants in Bulgaria will join the so-called Black Friday, making discounts on their goods on the last Friday of November. Unfortunately, among the lucrative offers, there are often attempts at fraud. Therefore, if you intend to make purchases on Black Friday, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the advice of the European Consumer Center in Bulgaria.

Be Alert when Ordering from your Phone Recent research has shown that over half of Bulgarians prefer to access the Internet through their smartphones. When using mobile devices to order goods or services, be especially careful. The reason is that on the smaller screen of the phone, it is possible that the prices or terms of the purchase are not clear enough and that it turns out that the product is not actually the bargain one expects. It is recommended not to open any links or attachments received in emails whose senders are not familiar to you or are unexpected. The reason is that they may contain viruses or phishing attacks that can damage both the phone and any personal data contained therein

Do Your Homework Check the merchant well before you shop online, especially if you have never shopped from there before or it is not recommended by a pleasant neighbor or a friend. Under EU regulations, all businesses are required to provide full contact details, including postal addresses, on their site. And you, in turn, could check that address by searching the web - for example on Google maps. If you want to buy branded sneakers or clothes, check if you order them from the manufacturer's or distributor's website of the respective brand. Otherwise, you can not expect a good quality of the desired product. If you are shopping from sites based outside the EU, the ability to protect is limited. It is important to know that the websites in whose address there is a country-specific abbreviation do not mean that they are companies actually registered there. For example, not every site that finishes co.uk is necessarily an English firm.

Pay in a Secure Way The presence of the S letter at the beginning of the site address - https, is a sign of a secure connection. Do not pay or open your Internet banking via public WIFI connections - at the hotel or in the park. Payment by credit card or through systems such as Paypal provides additional protection in the event of a problem. It is strongly advised not to send money to the bank or as a money transfer because these amounts can not be tracked.

Read the Small Font It is important to read the smallest letters and general terms before making an order. It is a good idea to check the return policy of a good and who has to pay the transport costs in such a case.

Discounts. And then…

You are entitled to information on the degree of price reduction. Running promotions by initially raising prices and then lowering them to normal levels is an unfair commercial practice. Ask and check (online, for example) what a discount the company offers and consider whether the promotion actually saves you money. Check out the price at least a few days before Black Friday, as well as other sites.

You have the right to return the goods purchased online without giving any reason for 14 day period after they have delivered them to you. Then, within 14 days, the merchant has to return your money and depending on his terms - you may not have to pay for shipping costs for returning the goods, but this is not a must. These conditions also apply if you return one item and you have bought several.

If the product is defective, you can file a claim with the merchant within 2 years of purchase. This gives you the right to request repair, replacement of goods or even refund of the amount paid if the defect is significant or can not be repaired.

If you are buying from sites abroad, check the delivery costs to Bulgaria. Traders may refuse to deliver the requested goods to our country for objective reasons only.

Check in advance the rules of the online store as well as how you can return the goods or replace the garment with another size, for example.

Avoid expensive accessories for your new equipment. You do not have to buy a cable or an external hard drive from the same store where you can buy your new laptop because they can be much more expensive than other places.

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