I'm a tech expert and I almost got scammed by a too-good-to-be-true Black Friday deal

(Image credit: Getty Images)

I came a CAPTCHA-challenge-close to being fleeced in an online Black Friday scam and was only saved by someone else’s quick thinking. Please consider my cautionary tale.

I’ve been shopping for a new overcoat for almost two years, with the desire resurfacing every winter only to fade from memory when the temperature headed north. With the first cold snap in place, a timely TikTok ad caught my eye. It wasn’t just the classic style of the wool coat I’d been searching for; it was Montero of London’s story. The soon-to-close online retailer and "family business" was holding its last Black Friday and promising 70 percent discounts to mark the solemn event.

It was the confluence of these factors that led me down a path of almost buying a new coat and very likely opening a trap door into which I’d drop my money, identity, hopes, and satisfaction. All that stopped me was my wife, a canny shopper who smelled a rat.

People selling stuff on TikTok is not a new or Black Friday-only related phenomenon, but it’s clearly ramping up during this prime buying season. Some amateur salespeople hawk a singular item with faked homeyness and big brands that slip into your algorithm with products and services that are almost too perfectly aligned with your subconscious needs.

Montero of London might’ve been one of those. The coat in question – set against a background image from Peaky Blinders – was just what I’d almost forgotten I was looking for, and the discount from $270 down to $79.95 was tantalizing, to say the least.

I followed the link from inside TikTok to the Montero site, where I found this: “With a heavy heart, we announce that this will be our last Black Friday at Montera , our small family business. Over the years, we’ve poured our hearts into every piece coats, jackets, sweaters, shoes, and bags to create something truly special for our community.”

This site was well-designed, with a wide selection of coats and clothes that all appeared designed just for me. There was a bit of weird language on the About Us page, like “we love every passion and interest on Earth because it is a reference to your UNIQUENESS,” but I attributed it to over earnestness. Everything else about the site looked legit, right down to the checkout and promise of a hCaptcha security system.

Perhaps with a tear in my eye, I dug into the site and started comparing coat colors; grey was appealing. I admit, I even thought about buying the coat right then and there. It occurred to me, though, that purchasing through a site inside TikTok might be a bad idea.

I opened Safari and found the Montero London site along the with same “final” Black Friday sale and that coat. Still, I hesitated.

Later that morning, I asked my wife to look at the coat. She was initially supportive of my interest, but as is often the case, she continued researching the deal and then Montero-London.

“It’s a scam,” my wife said with just a hint of "seriously, dude?" in her voice.

The Montero-London set off my wife’s infallible BS detector, so she conducted a quick search that led to multiple negative reports about the online retailer.

An October post on the Malware Tips blog reported, “Montera-London.com Store Is a Scam – Avoid at All Costs.”

Trustpilot rates the retailer 2.3 stars and collected a half dozen negative reviews on the quality of the products and customer service. Back on the Malware blog, they noted how sometimes no product ever arrived or one does arrive that is far removed from the style and quality illustrated on the site.

Even the name, conjuring images of a narrow London haberdashery peopled with kind clerks and festive customers, is, apparently, a fabrication. The charge leveled at “Montero-London” is that the allegedly family-owned business is not based in London and is instead a product of China. Malware also claims that the scammy retailer may be selling collected personal information on the dark web.

Suffice it to say I’m not buying that coat, but my wife’s investigation is a reminder of the growing threat unscrupulous online actors present, especially during this time of year.

Shopping socially might be a bad idea

Adobe predicts Americans will spend $240 billion this holiday season, with Black Friday accounting for over $10 billion and Cyber Monday accounting for over $13 billion in sales. That’s right, Cyber Monday is now the bigger shopping day. That’s of note here because our inclination to do so much of our shopping online turns us all into giant, blinking holiday light targets for scammers.

I do feel seen by a recent report from security firm McAfee that says, "19% of shoppers are willing to buy from unfamiliar sites if the price is right." It warns that while social shopping (think shopping through TikTok) is convenient, we're not entirely focused on the tasks, and that's a risk because one thing we're still struggling to identify is AI-generated content. I would not be surprised if some of what I saw on Montero was the product of generative AI.

Social platforms are already full of vendors, large and small, seeking to sell directly to consumers. Many are legit. Many are not. The numbers of both kinds will skyrocket in the coming days and weeks.

I suggest you do your homework and, where possible, stick with reputable online retailers. Sure, the deals probably won’t be as good, but they’ll probably be a lot safer. Just ask my wife.

Happy Black Friday shopping, everyone.

TOPICS

A 38-year industry veteran and award-winning journalist, Lance has covered technology since PCs were the size of suitcases and “on line” meant “waiting.” He’s a former Lifewire Editor-in-Chief, Mashable Editor-in-Chief, and, before that, Editor in Chief of PCMag.com and Senior Vice President of Content for Ziff Davis, Inc. He also wrote a popular, weekly tech column for Medium called The Upgrade.

Lance Ulanoff makes frequent appearances on national, international, and local news programs including Live with Kelly and Mark, the Today Show, Good Morning America, CNBC, CNN, and the BBC.