Black Friday Safety
On the topic of Cybersecurity. Sometimes it is not so easy to spot the fake from the real thing. The question then becomes how to spot a fake advertisement from the real deal. Data shows an increase rate of online Black Friday Scams. Amazon alone has shut down thousands of fake ads pretending to be from Amazon.
To learn more, I attended a webinar on Holiday Security. With ever more opportunities to shop online, we are bombarded daily with offers for special deals. One of the takeaways from this hour long presentation showed me there are free tools available to help sort out these fraudulent ads.
1. Trend Micro Check is a one-stop tool and FREE 24/7 real-time online checking service. In a nutshell, Trend Micro Check helps users verify the trustworthiness and security status of information with ease.
How does Trend Micro Check Work?
2. Fake Spot is another tool (Works best if you use Firefox as your browser.)
Fake Spot looks for fake reviews online. Some companies pay customers for product reviews. Many of these reviews are completely false. Oftentimes, the 5 star review is also suspicious. Fake spot checks the authenticity of the review and provides a Grade from A-F.
Each of these tools is a add-on for Firefox and safari as well as other browsers. Use the directions below to add these to your online environment.
In Firefox, use your “Tools” tab, select “Add-ons and Themes” Search for FakeSpot add on. Click on the button to “add” the tool to Firefox. When prompted, select “Opt-in”
Note: I tested Fake Spot in Firefox and Safari. Fake Spot works much better in Firefox than in Safari.
