{"id":29790,"date":"2025-11-25T14:14:18","date_gmt":"2025-11-25T06:14:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/?post_type=oasis-news&p=29790"},"modified":"2025-11-26T14:36:45","modified_gmt":"2025-11-26T06:36:45","slug":"snag-deals-skip-the-scams-your-black-friday-safety-checklist","status":"publish","type":"oasis-news","link":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/oasis-news\/snag-deals-skip-the-scams-your-black-friday-safety-checklist\/","title":{"rendered":"Snag deals & skip the scams: Your Black Friday safety checklist!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Reading time: 2 minutes<\/em><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Black Friday is here, and the hunt for epic deals is officially on! Whether you\u2019re snagging that must-have gadget you\u2019ve been eyeing or indulging in some much-needed retail therapy, it\u2019s an exciting time to shop. But while you\u2019re racing for deals, cyber criminals are racing to catch unsuspecting shoppers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The good news? With a few simple precautions, you can avoid their scams, shop safely, and enjoy those savings like a digital ninja!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our recommendations:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Have a plan<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sales events love to pressure you into quick decisions, but don\u2019t fall for the hype! Take a breath and think before you buy. Make a list of must-haves, and don\u2019t stray from it. You\u2019ll save money and avoid buyer\u2019s remorse later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stick to the big names<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Imagine buying a phone from a sketchy street corner\u2014sounds risky, right? The same goes for online shopping! Stick with websites you know and trust, like the big ones you\u2019ve shopped from before. If something feels off or the deal is just too good, it\u2019s probably not safe. Always check the website\u2019s address and do a quick search to make sure it\u2019s legit. It only takes a minute!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t take the bait<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Received an email or text offering 60% off? Emails or texts are a scammer’s favourite bait. Instead of clicking, type the store\u2019s website into your browser or search for it yourself. If the sale is real, you\u2019ll find it on their site. If not, you just avoided a major headache!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Level up your password game!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Think of your password as your ultimate power-up. Simple ones like names or words won\u2019t do the job. Use four random words, like \u201cPurple-Robot-Coffee91,\u201d and you\u2019re playing on expert mode! Want extra protection? Turn on Multi-factor Authentication (MFA) to block the cyber baddies. And if keeping up with all your passwords feels too hard, a password manager is your cheat code!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Protect your wallet<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When shopping online, credit cards are your reliable sidekick. They protect you better from fraud and help you dispute any sketchy charges. For even more safety, try using PayPal or another secure payment service to keep your financial info safe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Further information:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

For more information on staying cyber secure, refer to the Australian Cyber Security Centre\u2019s (ACSC) guide<\/a><\/ins> and checklist<\/a><\/ins>. If think you\u2019ve fallen for a scam and need assistance, visit the ACSC\u2019s how to recover from scams website.<\/a><\/ins><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article has been brought to you by Digital & Technology Solutions<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#MakeCurtinCyberSafe<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Black Friday madness is here! While you\u2019re busy scoring epic savings, cyber criminals are lurking in the shadows\u2014but with our easy tips, you\u2019ll outsmart them like a shopping ninja. | Reading time: 2 mins<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4418,"featured_media":29792,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"_oasis_task_priority":"","_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"7812,8378,6675,8048,5855,8547","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","wds_primary_oasis-categories":0,"footnotes":""},"oasis-categories":[141],"class_list":["post-29790","oasis-news","type-oasis-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","oasis-categories-online"],"acf":{"post_options":{"":null,"banner":{"image":false}}},"featured_image":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/AdobeStock_1576174294-1588x500.jpg","author_meta":{"first_name":"Rachelle","last_name":"Erzay","display_name":"Rachelle Erzay"},"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-12 23:34:36","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"oasis-categories","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/oasis-news\/29790","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/oasis-news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/oasis-news"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4418"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/oasis-news\/29790\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29792"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29790"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"oasis-categories","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/oasis-categories?post=29790"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}