Black Friday sale is live: Grab big discounts while shopping safely

The Black Friday sale kicks off today and will continue through the weekend, with Amazon India launching its first-ever Black Friday sale, running until December 2. Shoppers can avail 10% discounts with HDFC, IndusInd, BOB Card and HSBC bank debit and credit cards and credit EMI. E-commerce giants have joined the Black Friday sale with Flipkart’s running from November 24 to November 29, offering discounts on electronics such as smartphones, laptops, etc. Croma’s sale starts from November 27 to December 1, featuring 10% instant discounts on ICICI credit cards and Tata Neu HDFC bank cards. Reliance Digital will also continue its sale until December 2.

Meanwhile, airlines such as Air India and Indigo have launched their Black Friday sales, with Air India announcing a limited-period offer of up to 20% off base fares for domestic flights and up to 12% off for international routes to the U.S., Europe (including the U.K.), Australia, Southeast Asia, and South Asia. Flight bookings under this offer are available from 00:01 hours IST on November 29, 2024 to 23:59 hrs IST on December 2, 2024, for travel until June 30, 2025, except for flights between India and Australia or North America, which are valid for travel until October 20, 2025. During the sale, Air India has waived convenience fees for bookings made through its website and mobile app for both domestic and international flights, allowing travellers to save an extra ₹399 on domestic tickets and up to ₹999 on international ones.

IndiGo’s sale is live until December 2, offering domestic flight bookings starting at ₹1,199 (one-way) and international flights starting at ₹5,199 (one-way). Additionally, passengers can book standard seats starting at ₹99 and avail up to 15% off on select 6E Add-ons.

Amidst this shopping season a lot of fraudulent activities surface. Recently, a report by Sophos revealed malicious emails ranked as the second leading cause of ransomware attacks in critical sectors, accounting for 25% of cases, with threat escalating during peak shopping seasons.

Here are some tips to be safe while shopping online:

Use ad blocker- Advertisements track all your movements, gather extensive personal data, and are a key source of malicious links. 

Use private browsing or incognito mode- To keep shopping habits private and prevent tracking, enable private browsing (Firefox) or incognito mode (Chrome) to block cookies and erase your browsing trail.

Make browser privacy smart- The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) offers Privacy Badger, a browsing extension that blocks invisible trackers and protects privacy.

Avoid using one account on multiple services- Avoid using ‘Sign-in with Facebook’ or ‘Sign-in with Google’ to protect your privacy.

Use guest login when available- Many sites offer guest logins instead of creating an account, which reduces the need for passwords, minimising risks if the site gets hacked.

Don’t save card details- E-commerce sites often store your credit card info for convenience, but it’s safer to opt out.

Use temporary card numbers- Many financial institutions offer temporary, one-time use credit card numbers to prevent fraud and tracking, with some allowing spending limit for added protection

Use credit, not debit- Avoid using debit cards during the holidays, credit cards offer better protection against fraud

Beware of direct messages via social media/chat apps- With AI, fake online stores can easily trick consumers into sharing their personal and payment info. To stay safe, shop only on trusted sites or those recommended by friends and family to avoid data theft. 

Don’t click deals in email- Avoid clicking on email deals that seem too good to be true and are from unfamiliar businesses, as they may be phishing mails leading to malicious sites.