Black Friday Scams To Look Out For In 2022

Top Black Friday Scams

1.      Malicious Website Scams

Scammers will likely create fake websites to entice unsuspecting shoppers with cheap Black Friday deals. A common method is creating domains and interfaces that resemble real websites to avert suspicions and evade detection. Also, hackers may use phishing tactics and trick users into clicking these malicious links by sharing them through email. Scammers use phishing websites to harvest sensitive information, such as personal data, credit card information, and home addresses, which they later use to steal your identity or make illegal purchases. Fortunately, you can avoid fake website scams in several ways. For instance, bookmarking your trusted and favorite shopping websites saves you from entering malicious websites through typos. Also, 30% of shoppers receive phishing emails during Black Friday deals, so you can protect yourself by not clicking any links from unknown emails. But if you become a victim of a fake website scam, you should immediately report it to your credit card provider and change all usernames and passwords used to access the real website.

2.      Product Delivery Fraud

A 2021 survey revealed that 33% of shoppers receive phishing scam emails from scammers impersonating delivery companies. Cybercriminals perpetrate scams by sending fraudulent delivery messages and notifications to unsuspecting consumers. For example, the messages may impersonate renowned delivery organizations like UPS and FedEx during Black Friday events, which may claim an issue with your delivery. They then provide a link through which you can “address the issue” by providing specific types of personal data and credit card information. However, such websites are a front for harvesting your personal information leading to identity theft and financial scams. Knowing this scam is an effective way to protect yourself. Firstly, don’t call the provided numbers or links once you receive such a message via email or social media. Instead, contact the delivery firm and report the message. The delivery company will help you navigate the problem if any exists, and reporting also assists in investigations if the message is designed to scam you. In addition, you should monitor your financial accounts and use a trusted service to monitor for identity theft if you fall for a fake delivery fraud.

3.      False Order Fraud

image from action fraud

Fake order scams are extremely common. For instance, security researchers disclosed that cybercriminals often send spoofed Amazon emails that resemble real order notification emails. However, the orders usually turn out to be false with exorbitant charges. Since Black Friday shoppers often look for the best deals, they may want to contact Amazon or other suppliers through the provided links. However, clicking the links redirect them to phishing websites. The sites require you to provide personal information and credit card details to “cancel the order,” which exposes you to identity theft and illegal use of your credit card details. Hence, to protect yourself, you should look up the company’s legitimate contact information and reach out directly to cancel any orders or report false order scam messages and notifications. Furthermore, since hackers use phishing tactics hoping that you will click the fraudulent website links to resolve the issue, first determine if you placed the order in the first place. If not, don’t click the provided links and immediately send the email to your spam folder to avoid receiving similar messages in the future. However, if you become a victim of a false order scam, immediately notify your credit card issuer and reset all login credentials you use to access the real shopping site to avoid identity and credit card theft incidents.

4.      Order Not Delivered

If the deal is too good, think twice. But this is usually not the case during Black Fridays since you will probably look for shopping websites where you can save the most and get the best deals. As such, scammers may create shopping sites that seem legitimate, promising the most exciting Black Friday deals. Unfortunately, when you purchase through the site, you often don’t receive a tracking number, the order never arrives, and the seller vanishes. Any attempts to contact the sellers are futile since they provided fake contact details, which means you have fallen for a non-delivery scam. The best protection is shopping from reputable and trusted shopping sites, using websites with SSL protection, verifying the seller’s physical address, and doing enough due diligence before making a purchase.

5.      Fake Charity Fraud

Scammers exploit the holiday spirit by appealing to Black Friday shoppers by using heartening stories to provide donations for non-existent charities. Cybercriminals may also impersonate real charity organizations by copycatting their websites and running well-orchestrated campaigns on social media to deceive consumers into making donations that end up in their pockets. Thus, before donating, use services for tracking and rating non-profit organizations to research a charity. If you fall for false charity scams, report them to the authorities to assist in investigations.