When it comes to Black Friday sales, retailers work hard, but scammers work even harder.

From phishing emails to fake websites, the age-old adage applies - if it’s too good to be true, it probably is.

The latest online shopping scam doing the rounds is a fraudulent website masquerading as local shoe retailer Froggie.

The brand first alerted customers on its official website. “It has come to our attention that Froggie website and social media have been cloned,” read the announcement.

“There is a scam sale offering up to 80% off. Please ensure you are only buying from our official page.”

Froggie also urged those who have already ordered from the cloned website to contact their bank urgently to reverse the payment and report the fraud.

One unknowing customer almost got duped by the website and thought something was off when their credit card details wasn’t accepted.

They alerted consumer journalist Wendy Knowler who shared the post on X, reminding her followers, “Always check out the website url very carefully. The fraudulent ones don’t match the authentic ones. And the discounts are always too good to be true.”

Sooo many South Africans are being caught by a variety of shoe scams. 👡👞👢👟🥿👠
Always check out the website url very carefully. The fraudulent ones don’t match the authentic ones. And the discounts are always too good to be true. pic.twitter.com/n1xwNHwjY3
— Wendy Knowler (@wendyknowler) November 10, 2023

To the untrained eye, a fraudulent website looks exactly like the real deal. But there are tell-tale signs like spelling mistakes and unusual links/URLs

If a suspicious link or document has been opened and fraudulent activity is suspected, consumers are urged to immediately contact their bank and block the scammer’s email address.

And always remember the golden rule - shop only on secure websites.

IOL Lifestyle