Black Friday 2026: Official Online Shopping Safety Advice

Romania's National Cyber Security Directorate (DNSC), the Romanian Police and the Romanian Association of Banks have issued joint advice for Black Friday shoppers through the #SigurantaOnline project. The key message: verify offers, payment requests and delivery messages before you act.

The recommendations, released on Wednesday, cover the whole shopping journey. A tempting advert on social media, a note about an undelivered parcel, or a promised refund can all be starting points for fraud. Scammers may imitate well-known shops, courier firms or banks to steal card details, passwords or access to accounts. Because many people expect several deliveries around Black Friday, a message about a shipping problem can seem convincing – but having made a recent order does not make a follow-up message genuine.

When a promotion uses a familiar brand's name and look, it could lead to a fake website. Before entering personal or banking information, check the full site address, the seller's identity, and the contact, delivery and return details. It is safer to open a shop by typing its known address into the browser or using the official app, rather than clicking a link from an advert. Compare prices and take time to check, especially when an offer creates pressure to pay immediately. The presence of https shows an encrypted connection but does not guarantee that the shop is legitimate.

When confirming a payment in a banking app, read the information on screen and check the amount and the recipient. Do not approve transactions you did not start, and never share passwords, PINs or authorisation codes received by SMS or in an app. Card details should only be entered after the seller and the payment page have been checked. An urgent request received by phone, email or messaging is not enough to justify a banking operation.

For messages about blocked parcels, incomplete addresses or extra fees, verify directly in the official app or website of the shop or courier company, accessed independently of the link in the message. The same caution applies to messages promising a refund: do not share authorisation codes and do not approve a payment to receive a supposed refund. Contact the seller using details from the original order or the official website, even if a further payment is requested.

Artificial intelligence tools can create convincing texts and images, so good grammar, a familiar logo or a professional-looking page do not prove authenticity. Always check the source and the request.

If you have entered bank details on a suspicious site, shared security codes or noticed unrecognised transactions, contact your bank immediately through official channels. Keep messages, website addresses, screenshots and transaction evidence. If you have been a victim of fraud, report it to the Police and notify DNSC on 1911 or via the PNRISC platform.