Local shoppers report disappointment over Cyber Monday deals as experts urge caution when buying online
Gavin Nguyen
PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) – Cyber Monday is here, and shoppers in the Coachella Valley are in search of deals.
Many are likely shopping for gifts, but popular items made outside of the United States – like certain toys, video game consoles, clothing, and more – are being driven up by tariffs, according to research done by Mastercard’s Economics Institute (MEI).
Most shoppers we spoke with today said they either skipped out on Cyber Monday shopping online or found less deals than they had hoped.
One shopper, Melanie Albanese, said she searched Amazon for deals. “I found a few good deals, not as much as I was hoping for.”
She added that her husband worked for the railroad company and that he has seen unusually low shipping and freight volume, which she said indicated deals were likely not as good as years past.
As prices rise and more consumers look for bigger deals, cybersecurity experts urge caution when you click. They say if the deal is too good to be true, it likely isn’t real. They also urge people to slow down when clicking on what appear to be real emails – but turn out to be fake.
Matt Disher, President of Southwest Networks, is an expert in that field. He urges his clients to slow down, and instead of taking any action (i.e. clicking on links) within the email, head to the source.
For example, a fake Amazon email may ask you to click on a link that will make you input your log-in information onto a fake website.
“A lot of times they’re going to redirect you and then it’ll look just like this website, but it’s a fake one,” he explained. “They’re going to play what’s called man in the middle, so they’re going to intercept any thing you type in. So when you log into your account, your password, the bad guys will actually intercept that that information and then they’ll log in later.”
As holiday spending continues to ramp up (generally from November through January), Disher said these attacks become more common.
“Just always be diligent, always be be on the lookout for things. And again, slow down. Think before you click.”