Black Friday: Scammers Warned by National Consumer Commission as Misleading Deals and Discounts Rage On

• The National Consumer Commission has warned retailers not to mislead customers on Black Friday
• Retailers who contravene the Consumer Protection Act through fraud or deception will face a hefty fine
• The commission has urged consumers to do their research before accepting advertised deals by checking the previous prices of the items they wish to purchase

JOHANNESBURG - Retailers have been warned by the National Consumer Commission (NCC) to be transparent about their Black Friday sales today (26 November) as some have also misled customers in their advertising.

Thezi Mabuza from the NCC said that retailers who do not comply will be in contravention of the Consumer Protection Act (CPA). This act states that anyone who sells goods or supplies services must not do so in a deceptive, misleading or fraudulent manner.

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According to Times Live, the NCC encouraged consumers to research the previous prices of sale items to check if prices were inflated prior to the sale, in order to make the discount seem more attractive.

Do your research before you buy

Pheto Ntaba, a spokesperson for the NCC, said that not all offers advertised are the major specials they claim to be, EWN reports.

"We have seen pictures on social media that suggest some suppliers are already inflating their prices in preparation for Black Friday. We want to say to those suppliers they must be honest," Ntaba said.

If any retailers do not heed the NCC's warning, they will be liable for a R1 million fine or a payment of 10% of their annual profit, depending on which amount is higher.

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Reactions to Black Friday scams

South Africans went online to voice their opinions on Black Friday. Briefly News shares a few here:

@ZandileExcel shared:

"There is no black Friday in South Africa, let's stop lying to each other."

@ohmyjosh_77 remembers the July lootings:

@SekhuteLes said:

"We have no money to spend. So this Black Friday is meaningless to some of us."

@Pally_Em asks:

@mczuks belives:

"Everyone knows now Black Friday is a scam."

South Africans urged to watch out for Black Friday scams

Yesterday, Briefly News reported that as South Africans are anticipating to dive into the biggest discount events of the year, the Ombudsman for Banking Services (OBS) says people need to be more vigilant when shopping Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals.

The OBS says that they will be heightened risk on 26 and 29 November this year, the dates assigned for Black Friday and Cyber Monday, respectively.

In a media statement sent to Briefly News, the Ombudsman Reana Steyn says although South Africans are excited about discounts, shoppers should check their bank statements because scams are expected to increase during this time.

Source: Briefly News