6 Scams to Watch Out for Around Black Friday and Cyber Monday

A record 183.4 million Americans will be shopping online and in stores Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, according to a survey by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights and Analytics. As shoppers look for deals, scammers will be out in full force looking to take advantage of them.

Bad actors will use a variety of tactics in an attempt to steal consumers’ money and personal information. That’s why it’s important as you do your holiday shopping to be on the lookout for scams. “You want to give the gift,” says Adam Levin, co-host of What the Hack? with Adam Levin and founder of cybersecurity company Cyberscout, now a TransUnion brand. “You don’t want to be the gift that keeps on giving.”

Here are six scams that will be circulating as Black Friday approaches and what you can do to avoid them.

Fake deal scams

Scammers take advantage of holiday shoppers’ eagerness to find a deal by advertising deep discounts on popular items. If you click on the ads, you’ll likely end up on websites that sell counterfeit or inferior products or that will steal your money and payment information.

“Social media is a petri dish for these kinds of scams,” Levin says. In addition to ads on Facebook and Instagram, scammers create paid ads for products and sites—sometimes mimicking actual retail sites— that appear at the top of search results. So if you’re using a search engine such as Google to find deals, be aware that sponsored search results could lead to fake sites.

How to protect yourself: Rather than click on a great deal you see on Facebook, Instagram, a sponsored search result or anywhere online, go directly to retailers’ sites to see if they are actually offering the deals you saw advertised. “If you don’t want remorse, go to the source,” Levin says.

Look-alike retail site scams

Watch out for fake online stores that look like well-known retailers’ sites. “The bad guys have gotten so good that they create the https with a lock symbol,” Levin says. “When you have [artificial intelligence] on top of that, AI can make anything look more legitimate.” So even the tried-and-true method of checking the site’s url for security features might not help you stay safe.

How to protect yourself: Again, don’t click on ads or links in emails for deals. And double check the url of any site you shop on, especially during the holiday season. For example, you might be on what looks like the Amazon site, but check the url closely to make sure you’re actually at Amazon.com. “If you’re going to operate online, make sure you're at the right place,” Levin says.

E-skimming scams

You could be putting your payment and personal information at risk even on legitimate websites. That’s because bad actors can exploit vulnerabilities on retail sites to hide malicious code that will capture your information from the checkout page. It’s called e-skimming, and Levin says it’s virtually impossible for the average consumer to spot this scam.

How to protect yourself: Only use credit cards when shopping online because they have better fraud protections than debit cards. Levin also recommends signing up with your card issuer to receive transaction alerts, which will help you quickly catch any fraudulent transactions. Linking your financial accounts to Carefull will ensure that you're alerted to unusual transactions and signs of fraud.

Package delivery scams

Scammers send emails and text messages with fake package delivery notifications throughout the year. However, these scams increase around Black Friday and Cyber Monday as more consumers shop online.

The messages appear to come from USPS, UPS, FedEx or Amazon and typically alert you to some sort of problem with the delivery of a package.If you click on a link in the message to confirm your address or update delivery or payment information, you risk having malware installed on your device or ending up on a fake site that will steal your money or personal information.

How to protect yourself: Use the tracking numbers you receive when your purchases are shipped to keep tabs on your packages. If you get a message about a problem with a package delivery, don’t click on any links or call numbers provided in the message. Go directly to the shipping company’s website and use your tracking number to check the status of the shipment.

Gift card scams

Ads, emails and text messages with offers for discounted gift cards might look appealing. But these offers are likely ploys to get your money without giving you a gift card in return. “If someone is offering to sell you gift cards at a discount, run, don’t walk,” Levin says.

How to protect yourself: Warehouse clubs such as Costco and Sam’s Club sell some gift cards at a discount. Otherwise, it’s best to buy gift cards directly from retailers’ websites or brick-and-mortar stores to ensure you aren’t getting fake cards. When you do buy gift cards in stores, check the back of the cards to ensure the protective stickers haven’t been removed or the PINs exposed.

Tech support scams

If you’re online researching deals or shopping, beware of pop-up messages about problems with computer. This is a tech support scam, which bad actors use throughout the year to install malware or gain remote access to people’s computers. When online activity increases around the holidays, these scams tend to increase, Levin says.  

How to protect yourself: Never click on links in pop-ups warning that there is a virus on your computer. And don’t call any customer service numbers in these pop-ups. The goal of these scammers is to get remote access to your computer. Learn more about how to avoid tech support scams.

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