Cyber Monday shopping: Experts say if it looks too good to be true, it probably is

DETROIT (FOX 2) – After a record-setting Black Friday, shoppers are scouring the web on Monday for the best deals they can find. But online shopping also comes with a warning. 

Buyers should shop with caution as they surf for great deals throughout the web, but sometimes those low prices can be too good to be true. 

“It’s projected that over $13 billion will be spent today on Cyber Monday, which is one of the largest online spending days of the year,” said Cybersecurity expert David Derigiotis. “There are so many different criminal organizations that set up fake websites that accept payment, take your credit card and debit card, and they never have any intention of sending out the products that you think that you’re getting.”

In 2023, hundreds of millions of dollars were lost to scammers. 

“One of the most important things that I can recommend is pulling the curtain back on the website that you’re going to – it takes an additional step – I recommend going to whois.com or whoxy.com – think of them as a public registrar of all the online websites that exist,” he said.

Experts say there are many things to look out for when looking for the perfect holiday gift on the internet. 

“So, anytime you see something that’s brand-new that was set up maybe a couple of months ago, that could be a red flag and especially if you see it registered to another country, and you believe that you’re shopping with a U.S. retailer, again that’s another huge red flag,” he said. 

Then there is the annoying part, when the scammer reaches out to you through text or email. So shop with caution and if a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is.