Consumers Urged To Stay Vigilant This Black Friday As Scams Rise Despite Positive Economic Outlook

This positive economic trend is set to continue in 2025.

Yet consumers must heed pitfalls like bait marketing and sophisticated scammers who create fraudulent websites luring consumers with heavily discounted prices and once a purchase have been made, disappear with consumers’ hard-earned money, said the attorney Trudie Broekmann, one of South Africa’s best-known consumer rights specialists.

“We expect the sales from Black Friday – 28th November 2025 – to significantly boost the South African economy, following the trend of the economic injection of R88 billion of 2024.

“Yet, we want consumers to be beneficiaries, not victims,” said Broekmann.

Be mindful

“Scammers have become increasingly sophisticated. Recently there has been a rise in replica websites that mimic the official websites of well-known brands. These websites look exactly like the official websites, from the logo and layout of product listings.

“These fraudulent sites lure consumers with heavily discounted prices and once a purchase has been made, disappear with consumers’ hard-earned money, Broekmann said.

“To avoid falling victim to these fraudulent sites, we advise consumers to visit the verified social media pages of brands. The official social media pages of brands usually have a blue tick next to them. Consumers can then use the link provided in the official bio of that specific brand’s social media profile to access the brand’s legitimate website,” Broekmann added.

Suppliers will be tempted to raise their prices for goods in the weeks before Black Friday and then offer a big discount, which just takes the price back to around where it should be. So don’t be fooled. Use sites like www.pricecheck.co.za to find the real market price for an item you have in mind to buy, says Broekmann.

Know your rights

She also urges consumers to report any retailer who artificially raises prices and then creates the impression of giving a big discount to the Consumer Goods and Services Ombud and the National Consumer Commission so that action can be taken against the retailer for attempting to mislead consumers – a fine of up to 10% of their turnover can be imposed.

Section 30 of the Consumer Protection Act makes “bait marketing” illegal when suppliers lure you into their shop or onto their website with an amazing offer – which sells out almost immediately.

If a retailer has advertised a special but it is sold out by the time you get to their shop or onto their website, and the retailer did not state that their stocks are limited at that price and what the limitation is, then you can force the retailer to supply the product to you at the advertised price.

Do research

Broekmann said it might sound tedious to do research. However, doing your research and tracking the prices of your favourite products in advance can help you identity genuine discounts as some retailers inflate prices of items to make the discounts appear larger than they actually are.

“So, if for example, you get 50 % off an item that has already been marked up by 60 % you are actually not saving,” Broekmann warns.

It is also important to keep a close eye on early deals. Although Black Friday falls on the fourth Friday of November – 28th November – many retailers start running early bird specials days or weeks before the actual Black Friday. So it really pays to keep an eye on all your favourite stores and brands so that you get great deals ahead of the rush and before popular items sell out, Broekmann says.

“Set a realistic budget of how much you can reasonably afford to spend on Black Friday sales and stick to it. Once you have reached your limit, stop. Remember, there will always be another Black Friday next year,” Broekmann added.

Broekmann says online shopping is not only convenient, but it also provides several other advantages, especially during Black Friday. By shopping online, you can avoid long queues, overcrowded spaces and also have the opportunity to take your time when deciding on purchases.

Online shopping allows you to add items to your cart and pause and think about whether they are really worth buying, which is a luxury you might not have in a crowded store. This can help you stay within your budget and avoid impulse buying, Broekmann warned.

Your smartphone can be your greatest ally if you prefer shopping in-store, Broekmann added. A consumer can use their smartphone to scan the barcodes of items, track prices and check reviews in real time to see if there is not a better deal available nearby or online. By doing this, they ensure that they always get the best deal possible, Broekmann emphasised.