Black Friday scams: How can shoppers better protect themselves?

Black Friday scams have become increasingly more common in the last few years, as the number of retailers and websites offering steep discounts have multiplied significantly. 

With the rising cost of living, higher interest rates and widespread geopolitical uncertainty, consumers have become more hesitant to make big purchases. 

This in turn has contributed to the rise of more discounts and deals, as a way to attract more clients and boost sales, especially during the last quarter of the year, also known as the golden quarter. Both Black Friday and Cyber Monday are key to golden quarter sales. 

A Bitdefender Antispam Lab study found that 3 in 4 Black Friday spam emails were scams, with Europe receiving approximately 44% of global Black Friday themed spam. Wellbeing charity Caba also found that millennials and Gen Zers were three times more likely than boomers to be the victims of online shopping fraud. 

Scammers can use emails, fake websites, social media ads, search engine links and delivery notices for frauds. 

Why have Black Friday scams increased in recent years?

One of the biggest reasons why Black Friday scams have soared substantially in the past few years is because of scamming tools becoming consistently cheaper and more accessible, especially on the dark web. 

Adrianus Warmenhoven, a cybersecurity expert at NordVPN, said in an email note: “Phishing kits found on the dark web are usually free, fake website layouts start at $50 (€47.40), and malware-as-a-service subscriptions cost about $150 (€142.45) monthly. 

“The priciest items, such as cookie grabber pages, cost $400 (€379.24) or more. But just like with anything else, you can also find discounts for these items.”

These figures were based on analytics from NordStellar, with tools even including personal lessons and tutorials for step-by-step guides on how to pull off these frauds. 

The widespread availability of cheap internet worldwide, as well as much more sophisticated tech and scamming techniques have made it even easier for scammers to dupe shoppers. 

“Scammers impersonate major platforms such as PayPal, Amazon, Shopify, various banking websites, and even Netflix to target their customers. Their kits for creating these fake shop pages include various features promised by their creators, such as customizability, due to their use of HTML coding, and promise easy setup. 

“These pages feature card verification details and strong anti-bot systems. Additionally, they are designed to block website scanning and have the capability to bypass OTP (one-time password) and 2FA systems, all while being designed to evade detection.”

Scammers often tailor their campaigns to the specific kind of consumers they are targeting, such as fake luxury goods for fashion enthusiasts, fraudulent gadget deals for tech lovers and Costco and Tesco survey scams for grocery shoppers. 

Another major reason for the increase in Black Friday scams is the rise of artificial intelligence (AI). This has led to scams being increasingly better designed, such as copying the exact colours and fonts of a genuine website. These A tactics have made it increasingly difficult for consumers to spot the difference between real and fake websites and emails. 

The rise in sustainability-conscious shoppers has also created another opportunity for frauds. 

Some brands or individual scammers have started taking advantage of this shift by claiming that their product is sourced sustainably, or is environmentally-friendly, when it may not be, to attract more interest.  

In several cases, these tactics may actually result in higher sales, as it is often difficult for shoppers to independently verify these claims. 

The surge in more bargain-hunting and value-driven shoppers has also meant that consumers do not always check the origin, reviews or quality of a product or supposed seller as carefully as they might need to, when they find good deals, leading to them being susceptible to more scams. 

Websites such as Temu and Shein also contribute significantly to Black Friday scams mainly by offering fake discounts. Temu has also recently been investigated for fake discounts by the EU, as well as for other EU consumer protection law violations. 

Regarding this investigation, Temu said in an email statement: “Since our entry to the EU last year, we have continually taken steps to align our practices with local norms and meet our obligations under the law. 

“Temu regularly monitors the latest regulatory guidance and pertinent legal developments, and will continue to evolve and enhance its practices to ensure continued compliance with applicable laws and regulations.”

Shein has not responded to Euronews’ request for comment. 

How can shoppers better protect themselves against Black Friday scams?

In general, shoppers should be sceptical of any deal or discount which sounds too good to be true, and should ideally take the time to investigate the products and sellers more carefully, as there is a higher probability of scams in these cases. 

This can be done by cross-checking sellers and products from one website, especially new ones, with other websites that shoppers know are reliable and may be more familiar with. 

In cases when such steep discounts are offered, shoppers can also double check the website’s URL, to ensure that it is legitimate, or buy the product directly from a retailer’s website, instead of a third-party one. 

Consumers should also be careful when it comes to links from newly-created websites, or marketing posts from newly-created social media, selling products. Domain checkers can be used to determine when a website was made, if it has suspiciously few items.

Similarly, several scammers can use fake celebrity endorsements to try and boost a fraudulent website or product during Black Friday sales. In this case too, shoppers may be better off cross-checking with other sources to try to verify if the endorsement is real. 

Consumers should also be wary about any time-sensitive discounts, which can include a countdown timer on a website to check out, or having to add more things to their carts within a certain amount of time to unlock greater discounts. 

Scammers often create this false sense of urgency to hinder shoppers from taking the time to accurately verify or compare products or sellers before checking out. 

Another measure that can protect shoppers from fraud is by using credit cards, instead of other payment methods such as cash on delivery, debit cards or online payments. This is because most credit cards usually use several layers of fraud protection. 

Some other tips, like making a list and sticking to it, instead of giving in to attractive deals for things you don’t need, can help protect from scams, as well as curb overspending during both Black Friday and Cyber Monday. The same goes for ‘buy more, get more discounts’ schemes, as shoppers may not check products and sellers enough, while being caught up in filling their carts. 

Charlotte Lumbroso-Baumgartner, the chief executive of Voucherbox, said in an email: “It is essential for shoppers to approach sales with a clear plan and a critical eye. Planning ahead, staying informed, and prioritising genuinely needed items can help shoppers make the most of a sale event.

“While sales are designed to encourage spending, setting a budget, comparing prices, and understanding the fine print can help avoid common traps that lead to overspending.

“A deal is only valuable if it aligns with your needs and budget, so focusing on what truly brings you value is crucial. The key to maximising savings is to be intentional, not impulsive.”