In a statement, the government agency advised Danish consumers planning to make online purchases on Black Friday to take care when taking up offers from foreign webshops.

“With Black Friday coming up, offers will be overflowing on foreign webshops. But remember to keep in mind whether offers are too good to be true,” the agency said.

Danish consumer protection laws apply to purchases made on Danish webshops and consumers are also well protected within EU jurisdiction.

But extra caution is advisable when making purchases from outside the EU, the agency says on its website.

Med udsigt til Black Week og Black Friday vil tilbuddene vrimle på de udenlandske webshops! Men husk at have for øje, om tilbuddet er for godt til at være sandt, før du køber dit næste ”scoop”.
Vil du undgå at købe en ulykke online? Få gode råd her 👇https://t.co/NkXXtOjndh pic.twitter.com/fxiS7I3J76

— Sikkerhedsstyrelsen (@sik_dk) November 18, 2022

“You should check the webshop to ensure the company has provided its name, address, telephone number and email address. You should also check whether the company has a registration number or whether the owner’s name is given,” it writes.

Products purchased from websites outside of the EU should be checked before being used, Danish Safety Technology Authority head of products Kirstine Gottlieb told news wire Ritzau.

Childrens’ toys are an example of item where this advice should be kept in mind, she said.

“When we’re talking about toys there’s a chance small parts can break off, for example from soft toys,” she said.

“That could become serious if a child swallows small parts of a toy, and we obviously want to avoid that,” she said.

Long strings are also a potential risk because they can become entangled in other objects when children are playing, she also advised. Strings should be shorter than 22 centimetres according to the agency’s advice.