Cyber Monday sales poised to exceed $11 billion

After Black Friday sales eclipsed $9 billion, online sales are expected to continue a torrent pace this week.

A report by Adobe Analytics estimates Cyber Monday sales will hit $11.2 billion, with many of those sales coming on big ticket and gadget purchases.

“Cyber Monday’s roots are in tech. So anything that is tech related that you did not get on Black Friday but that you want to, Cyber Monday is the time to get it,” said Editor of RetailMeNot, Kristin McGrath.

While emails flood in with deals on the latest and greatest, a hidden threat lies in wait, as some of those links will lead to fraudulent sites.

“As much as we want to shop online shop digital, these cyber criminals know that that's where we're gathering online and they are gathering themselves to take advantage of us,” said tect expert Carmi Levy.

According to Levy, the short term deals lead to rushed buying and many people are forgetting to check the authenticity of the vendors.

“We're not really focused on the basics of cybersecurity and we become very easy marks, very easy targets for cyber criminals at this time of year,” explained Levy.

Levy said there are simple things you can do, the easiest being — take your time.

“If you check the addresses of the websites that you're frequenting, you'll actually be able to pick up things that might tell you this isn't legit. ‘Maybe I should back out, I shouldn't click on that link,’” said Levy.

Despite surging inflation rates, sales this year are expected to rebound by five per cent after a slight drop in 2021.