And particularly cheap offers can even be fake offers. The Brandenburg consumer advice center explains how consumers find good offers, how they can recognize fake shops and why it can be worthwhile to be stingy with personal data when shopping online.

Compare prices and find bargains

“Consumers should keep a cool head when looking for offers and not allow themselves to be tempted into impulse purchases,” advises Michèle Scherer, consultant for the digital world at the Brandenburg Consumer Center. It makes sense to create a wish list in advance with the things you really need.

“It is always advisable to compare prices.
Products advertised can also be cheaper in another online shop or in a brick-and-mortar store,” says the expert. You can use price search engines to do this, many of which always show price developments over a certain period of time. Buyers should take countdowns or threateningly shrinking quantities of items on websites with calm. If you have found a particularly good offer, that does not automatically mean that all products in the online shop are a bargain.

Recognize fraudulent online shops

Rip-offs are also trying to take advantage of the shopping mood at the beginning of the pre-Christmas period. They place fake shops that lure people with extremely low prices. Anyone who examines websites before paying can easily recognize such fake shops.

Scherer explains: “Indications include a conspicuous internet address, a missing imprint, awkward wording in the small print or trust seals that don’t even exist.” She emphasizes: “If payment is only possible as a bank transfer in advance or if other payment options are specified but these suddenly disappear in the last ordering step, you should not simply order there.”

If you are unsure about an online shop, you can use fake shop finder to check whether it is better not to purchase.

Be stingy with data

Anyone who spends a lot of time online should use personal data sparingly when looking for bargains. “Surfing leaves traces and the more personal information you reveal about yourself, the more transparent you become. Anyone shopping online should therefore make sure to only provide the data necessary for the purchase,” says Scherer.

A few steps can reduce the data trail when you visit a website, for example by visitors appropriate cookie settings and paying attention manipulative designs

Source:

Consumer advice center

You might also be interested in:
Beware of Black Friday fake offers
Black Friday: The 9 most common dangers when catching bargains online
Warning about these fake Black Friday competitions!


If you enjoyed this post and value the importance of well-founded information, become part of the exclusive Mimikama Club! Support our work and help us promote awareness and combat misinformation. As a club member you receive:

📬 Special Weekly Newsletter: Get exclusive content straight to your inbox.
🎥 Exclusive video* “Fact Checker Basic Course”: Learn from Andre Wolf how to recognize and combat misinformation.
📅 Early access to in-depth articles and fact checks: always be one step ahead.
📄 Bonus articles, just for you: Discover content you won't find anywhere else.
📝 Participation in webinars and workshops : Join us live or watch the recordings.
✔️ Quality exchange: Discuss safely in our comment function without trolls and bots.

Join us and become part of a community that stands for truth and clarity. Together we can make the world a little better!

* In this special course, Andre Wolf will teach you how to recognize and effectively combat misinformation. After completing the video, you have the opportunity to join our research team and actively participate in the education - an opportunity that is exclusively reserved for our club members!


Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )